Ghost Hunt: Burnt Desires
by SymmetricalGirl8DeathTheKid
Summary: Receiving an odd phone call was not on Mai's agenda that morning, and neither were the strange events that followed. Finding themselves in a house which was recorded to have been burnt down in a fire, the team can't help but find themselves getting caught up in yet another case involving spirits. But this one feels a little different, and things are not what they appear to be. MxN
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt.

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><p><strong>Burnt Desires: Part 1<strong>

**Day 1. 4:30PM.**

_The smell of smoke woke her._

_Her tired eyes surveyed the room, moving slow at first as she leant forwards with a stretch. She hadn't had much sleep, finding herself too tired to remember why she had woken. She had stayed up until the late hours of the morning cramming as much information as she could into her head in hopes of acing her supplementary classes for the day after; they were finishing soon, and she didn't want to retake them, again. "Damn-" Her mouth widened into a yawn, stretching her arms high above her head to pop the bones in her shoulders. She grinned, satisfied with the tingling feeling beneath her skin until her nose suddenly scrunched up, prodding her senses. "Ugh, who's burning breakfast?" She mumbled to herself, flickering her gaze towards the alarm clock sitting lonesome on her nightstand. 04:23am. "And so early..."_

_A begrudging expression crossed her face, and she moved her foot out from under the nice, warm covers of her bed, testing the floor temperature with a quick wiggle of her toes. After a short pause she placed her foot down flat, finding it warmer than she had expected. She blinked, slowly lowering her other foot down to settle next to it. It was warm. _Too_ warm._

_She rolled out of bed and placed her hands across the panelled floor, feeling the heat rise through the cracks beneath. _Did he forget to put out the fireplace?_ She pondered for a moment, sucking in a deep breath before releasing a sharp and sudden cough, tasting a dense gritty aftertaste in her mouth. "E-Eww!" She coughed forcefully, wiping her sleeve across her mouth. "What is that!?" She stared down at the black substance staining her sleeve, wondering how such a thing had ended up in her mouth. "S-Soot." She forced back a gag, switching her thoughts as she began scanning the room for the source of the black grit, stopping almost abruptly at the sight before her. She took a hesitant step forward, focusing on the visible heat waves emitting from beneath her door and swirling through the cracks, carrying thick clumps of soot along with it and depositing it into her room._

_Whatever it was, it was bad. It _had _to be. She shook her head, rubbing her eyes as she thought back to her previous thoughts. If _he _hadn't put out the fireplace, then who did? Her mother couldn't have done it, she was still abroad on her two year work trip. "...Did nobody turn it off..?" She said aloud, unable to think of anything else that could emit such a substance- already knowing the outcome. But it was surely an accident._

_A voice inside her head told her to stay where she was, not wanting to risk another beating from_ him. _The _monster. _She winced, not finding herself in the right state of mind to receive another _'scratch'_ from such a beast. One wrong footing on those creaky stairs would wake _him_ up._

_"...I'm sure it's nothing," She said in an attempt to throw her mind elsewhere, but she failed to reassure herself and get rid of the curiosity filling her mind. _Please don't be a fire._ Before she knew it she was already standing in front of the door, hand hovering around the handle. "J-Just one look..." She edged closer, staring down at it. "...It won't hurt..."_

_Her hand flexed before closing around the handle._

_But she retracted it immediately. "O-Ow- SHIT!" She howled, stumbling back from the shock. "Shit, shit, shit!" She drew back, cradled her burning hand to her chest. The fierce sensation tore through her nerves, eroding her hand from the inside out. It felt as if she had shoved her hand into a bucket of acid, making it too painful to move. "Don't look, " She whispered with tears in her eyes, not wanting to assess the damage. "Don't look!"_

_But the urge was too strong._

_Through peeking eyes she slowly unclenched her fist, stifling her gasp at the pain the slightest of movement had caused her. The puckered skin running along her fingers and palm appeared red and moist with the faint engraving of the door handle marking her skin, leaving tendrils of dead skin around the edges._

_It was all wrong._

Why was it hot? It shouldn't have done that!_ Her eyes drew back towards the door. "It doesn't make sense," She whispered, shock splaying across her face. She was beginning to break inside. The scorching handle had only served as evidence for her thoughts, tempting her to check things out. So she did. Swapping hands she reached for the door again, tugging her baggy sleeve around the handle this time. With a sharp pull she yanked the door towards her, catching a jagged breath in her throat. It hadn't budged. Not one bit. "Oh no," She pulled back, fright so evident in her eyes._

_He'd locked the door again._

_And the smoke was flowing in at an accelerating rate through the crack underneath._

_"W-What the hell!" She stumbled back, taken by surprise at the sudden pace of the smoke. Her mind whirled as the smoke filtered in like a wave, filling the compact space within a matter of seconds _–_it was too quick for her to do anything, but she finally understand what was gong on. It served her suspicions correct._

_The house was on fire._

_"Damn you to hell, Dad!" She yelled,_ wanting_ the monster to hear this time. "What have you done, you idiot!" She spat venomously, inhaling another chunk of smoke. Feeling her throat constrict she spun around on unstable feet, grabbing her pillow off the bed to waft away the thickening smoke. But despite the effort, the pain in her hand was too unbearable for her to ignore, and in a drastic attempt she dropped the pillow and ran towards the window, feeling her breath shorten with each exhale. "W-Window," She gasped, reaching blindly for the handle as her voice rose into a screech. "Come on! Where's the handle!?"_

_Her eyes watered uncontrollably, making it almost impossible to see where she was going. Why the fire had started she didn't know, but she wasn't going to die here, not without a fight._

_She slowly manoeuvred her way through the bedroom, bumping into unknown objects amongst the smoke until her hands grasped onto something hard and_ heavy._ "Yes!" She cheered, angling herself towards the general direction of the window before charging forward with the object in hand. She raised it high before swinging it around in an arc and smashing it through the window. And the__ glass should have shattered into pieces of glistening shards, scattering the floor around her feet. But it didn't. Instead, the heavy vase she had thrown had broken in its place, pricking her hands with the remaining pieces. And just like the door, the window was jammed tight, holding no dent nor crack._

_"No, no, no!" She cried, feeling her heart sink. Her legs gave out and she slid to the floor, heaving in a desperate breath. The smoke had turned a thick black by this point, taking away her wavering sight and leaving her with the burning smell filling her lungs and the smoke settling in her throat. All that filled her ears was the approaching fire with its crackling, red heat flickering against her door, turning the speckled paint black; leaving embers in its tracks that joined together, flaring even higher and creating multiples fires as it destroyed the house._

_All her attempts were futile._

_"M-Mom! S-Save me, p-pleeeaaasssee-" She choked out in a last-ditch attempt, tasting the familiar tang of copper. _If only she was here.

_"BUUUURN!" A hysterical voice chuckled manically, soaking the outside of her door in pungent streams of liquid. "BURN YOU CHARLATAN FOOL! BUUURRRRNNN!"_

_"D-Dad?" She sobbed, digging her fingernails into the floorboards. "Stop it! You're wrong!" She shook her head, hearing his manic laughter ring in her ears. "STOP LYING!"_

_She was so scared. This wasn't how she wanted to die. Why was he doing this? What had she done!? "MUM!" She called again, praying she could hear her. At least she was safe overseas._

_The flames had already burnt through her door by the time she fixated her glossy eyes on the faint orange glow of the embers in the dark. With the last of her strength she raised her throbbing head and parted her dry lips, yelling at the smoke with her dying breath._

_"_IT'S NOT FAIR!"

_She jolted awake, finding a pale face staring back at her in the mirror with haunting crystal eyes. _Why did she look so scared?

_"It was just a dream. A nightmare," Her voice trembled, filling her mind with a painful buzz. "N-No, it hurts!" She whimpered, smothering her face into her pillow. _Why did it hurt so much?_ "I-It felt so real-" _What was so real? You just woke up._ Her mind told her, relaxing the tension in her back. Her eyes flickered for a brief moment, appearing glassy and dull before the iris' resurfaced, bringing her back to reality._

_"...What was I just doing?"_

Mai opened her eyes with a gasp, almost head-butting the figure before her as she jolted forward, waking from the dream. Her hands shook while she tried to calm her breathing, suddenly meeting the stern yet focused gaze of the indigo eyes hovering before her, widening a fraction at her sudden movement.

"...I've been calling you for a while," The figure said dryly, narrowing his gaze.

Mai stared back at her boss, swallowing a lump in her throat."N-Naru?" she spluttered. "What are you doing here?"

Naru focused on her face for a brief second more before pulling back, hiding the amusement in his eyes. "Hm, this is my office after all, Mai." He said, brushing off his trousers as he stood. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a lidless pen, fixing his rigged gaze on her before he spoke. "I want a full report on your dream on my desk once you're more focused." He said with an air of clout, standing from his kneeling position on the floor beside her, and moving to return to his office.

Mai shot him a glare, snatching the pen from his grip before needling her eyes into the back of his head with a pout marring her face.

"Oh, and Mai?"

She sighed, recognising his tone as her glare intensified. _Don't even think about it-_

_"_Tea." He smirked to himself and disappeared into his office.

Mai flashed him an angry look, tightening her grip on the pen. "Narcissist," She growled bitterly, staring down at the compressed cushion on the floor, left from where Naru had been kneeling. From her seat on the office couch Mai reached towards it, brushing her fingers along the pattern. She blushed. _It's warm_. "Was he waiting for me to wake up..?" She pondered to herself, feeling her cheeks flush at the thought. "Mnn." She poked her cheeks, shaking her head with a rough jerk. "I-I'd better go make him his tea," She tucked the pen behind her ear and stood on unsteady legs before making her way towards the kitchen.

Lin walked out from his office carrying a box filled to the brim with paper as he strode towards the second office, prying open Naru's door with a booted foot. Naru was sat hunched over his desk, staring down at an open file with a pen resting in his hand. Lin pushed the door shut behind him, placing the papers on top of a thick stack of files on his desk. Naru looked up at the sound, eyeing the paperwork.

"What are they?"

"The last batch of the completed files from last year." Lin replied with a raised brow, noticing the lack of work on his desk. "...Haven't you started on the previous files yet?"

Naru's eyes fixated on the small, glossy window panelling his office wall at his assistant's words, watching Mai hurry into the kitchen to brew his tea. "I was busy," He said, returning his gaze to the open file sitting on his desk and scribbling a line of English in the top corner. Lin watched him a few more seconds, shook his head, and retreated out the door.

Mai was too busy fulfilling Naru's order in the kitchen to notice Lin's coming and going from Naru's office. Her hands reached for the whistling kettle, pulling it from its perch on the stove to pour into the already prepared cup. Her eyes lingered on the ripples of water as it whirled and dissolved into a murky beige. Mai's mind dove back to her earlier dream as she watched the liquid swirl around the cup, wondering what had provoked it. They hadn't taken on a case in weeks, not after they had found Gene's body. He had dispatched them all at first, talking about disbanding the SPR after finally succeeding in what he came to here to do. However, with a few persuasive prods and talks, Mai and Yasu had managed to get the Narcissist to stay, reminding him of the many other cases they could pick up on in Japan.

And it had been a good enough reason for him to stay.

Mai released a dishevelled sigh. She hadn't truly understood the dream, recalling only remnants of what she had experienced as the subject in the memory. From what she could remember, the subject was female, and a young one in experiencing such a thing. Mai could recollect the heated floors, followed by the billowing smoke that came out of no where, filling the room with a thick curtain of ash and soot. The _monster_, her father, had locked her bedroom door for reasons unknown, confining her to the intoxicating room. She had ran towards the window as a last resort but had failed to open it and had died from inhaling the chemicals in the smoke.

But what really struck her as odd was what had happened next. She had woken up in the girl's body, finding herself unravelling in the dream as she remembered the piercing crystal eyes in the mirror before being overtaken by a strange sensation and truly waking up back in her own body.

And Gene hadn't even been present.

Mai had never experience such a thing –waking up inside a dream while still watching the memory play. It was unusual. Her thoughts loitered for a moment more until the alluring smell of the cooling tea brought her back to her senses, reminding her of her boss' pending request. "Oh!" She gasped, grabbing the cup from the countertop before hurrying out of the kitchen, trying her best not to spill it as she quickened her pace.

But just to spite her predicament even more –the phone rang.

The assistant quickly placed the cup down on the table in the main room, sloshing the contents across the wooden surface as she raced to answer the phone, bumping into the couch along the way. She grabbed the phone on the last ring and brought it to her ear, glancing at Naru's door before answering. "Hello?" She called, hearing her voice echo through the dialling tone. "Hello? Can you hear me?" She tried again, feeling her brows crease in confusion as static filled the other end. "...Hello?"

Mai waited a bit longer, listening to the crackling noises emitting from the receiver. Her lips stretched into a frown, and she reached for the End Call button, stopping suddenly as the crackling changed to a hiss. A low mumbling echoed through the speaker sounding bleak and hypnotic to the ear. She gripped the phone tighter, wondering whether it was some children playing a prank. "I-It's not funny," Her voice trembled. "...I-I'm going to h-hang up now..." She responded before ending the call, releasing the phone with a startled gasp. Mai stared at it momentarily, hoping it wouldn't ring again. And much to her relief, it didn't, and she released a sigh in return.

Mai turned away from the phone, wanting to forget about the whole ordeal until she caught a figure standing in the corner of her eyes. Her whole body froze, thinking it was the spirit tormenting her from the phone. She quickly whirled around, hands ready to perform the nine cuts until a startled gasp escaped her lips.

"Mai?" The figure called.

Mai's arms faltered at the sight of her boss standing in the doorway of his office, slowly easing the tension from her body with a calming breath. "Naru," She sighed, slumping down on the couch. Her eyes drew back to the phone. "D-Did you hear all of that..?"

Naru moved his head forward with a slight nod, turning away from his office to stand before his confused assistant. "Was it a client?"

Mai shrugged, wrapping her arms around herself for comfort. "I'm not sure," She mumbled. "There was static at first before a low mumbling began to chant through the phone. It didn't sound right, Naru." She met his narrowed stare, biting her lip. "The noise was almost...hypnotic." She continued. "It _felt_ like someone was trying to talk to me, but I couldn't make it out. It was weird, really weird."

"Are you sure it wasn't a prank call?"

"Mnn, very sure." She nodded, curling her hands into fists. "It didn't sound...human."

Naru paused in thought. He had enough faith in Mai to believe she wasn't lying. Perhaps it was the start to a new case, hopefully something paranormal. _At least this will take my mind off Gene. _He thought to himself, glancing down at Mai. Sometimes her feelings led them astray on unfinished cases or false inquiries, but he was certain it was different this time.

And that was all he needed to start the case.

"I'll get Lin to trace the call," He stepped towards the table, eyeing the drops of liquid surrounding his forgotten cup of tea.

"Y-You will?" She shivered, tearing her eyes back to her boss as he reached for his chilled cup. "Ah, w-wait!" She choked, watching him with wide eyes as he drew the cup to his mouth. "No, don't drink that Naru, it's cold!" She protested. "I'll make you a fresh cup-"

Naru took a sip of the cold liquid, forcefully swallowing the bitter taste. At least she didn't forget it this time.

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><p><strong>Posting Date: <strong>29th October 2014

**Symm: **Hey! How's it going? I've _finally_ put up a new story; it's been a while. This is my first Ghost Hunt fic so if the characters are a little wrong, I apologize. This was supposed to be updated a little earlier in the event of Halloween, however my original plan hasn't worked. I was hoping to finish this on Halloween but that's basically out the window if you look at how much time I have left. _Sigh, _I should have planned it earlier! Anyway, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it and look forward to the next update. I'll see you soon!

_Charlatan: _a person falsely claiming to be something.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt.

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><p><strong>Burnt Desires: Part 2<strong>

**Day 2. 7:03AM.**

The next morning found Mai arriving sluggishly late for work, having slept through her alarm for the second time that week. Now here she was, forcing her tired legs into a run as the building came into view. Her hair stuck to her face as she hurriedly climbed the nimble steps leading to the SPR, hearing her shoes thump with every step. She rushed inside and blurted an apology she knew her two co-workers could hear, taking the chance to catch her breath before shrugging off her winter coat and slinging it over the coat rack. Naru was bound to be angry, not that she could complain. If she was in his shoes, she'd be angry too.

Her heart pounded at the very thought of his face looming over her, counting off the numerous times she had been late for her job. "Ugh, no thanks," She shook her head, shaking off a shiver as she sighed. "I need some tea." She found herself saying, wondering when she had starting liking the stuff. _I blame Naru._

Mai shuffled into the main room, brushing back her hair as a yawn broke out on her face. But she bumped into something.

"You're late."

Mai stumbled back, flailing her arms behind her at his sudden appearance. "N-Naru!" She yelped, rubbing her abused nose –a casualty from their collision. "You need to stop doing that," She put some distance between them, shaking her finger at him. "I thought you were a ghost!" Her cheeks burned red at her exclamation, feeling his pointed gaze on her face. Feeling her cheeks grow even hotter at her ridiculous remark, Mai bowed her head and gestured towards the kitchen, spouting a flurry of words about making some tea before making her escape with a stumbling run, feeling his stare on her all the way.

As soon as she crossed the threshold into the kitchen Mai released a line of curses, pulling in a tight breath. She hadn't even noticed him on her way in, and had mistaken him for a ghost. Again. Whether it was due to the lack of cases recently, she didn't know, wondering perhaps if her skills were getting rusty. Pushing away her thoughts Mai went about her usual routine, filling the kettle to the brim with water and lighting the stove, waiting patiently for it to boil while she prepared the three cups, adding in the sugar, milk and tea bags.

Mai poured the boiling water into the cups and stirred each one before grabbing the tea tray from beside the microwave and placing them on top, carefully carrying them out towards the main room and setting them down on the table. Grabbing a cup for herself, Mai sat down on the couch as her mind began to unwind through the peace and quiet. She cradled the cup in her lap, winding her hands around the sides and feeling the warmth envelope her fingers. She had had a dreamless sleep the night after, relieved that the dream filled with fire and crazy laughter hadn't resurfaced. _Speaking of the dream, I completely forgot to write t down. _She just hoped Naru could wait a bit longer.

Her ears perked up at the sound of a door opening, followed by the gentle footfalls of her boss' shoes as he neared her person. Mai cracked open an eye, watching as he settled himself down on the couch opposite.

"You didn't call," He said after a moment, nodding at the steaming tea resting on the table.

Mai frowned, blinking a few times as she processed his words. "Oh, sorry about that. I didn't think to..." She broke off into a yawn, sending him an apologetic look after she had finished.

Naru nodded in return, reaching for his tea. "I got Lin to trace the call last night," He uttered, blowing away the rising steam from his cup. Mai unconsciously tightened her grip around her cup, ignorant to the blistering heat radiating through her palms. "He found the house it came from, and it appears we have a new case," He took a sip of his tea, eying her over the rim of his cup.

"A case?" She blurted, almost spilling her drink at his sudden statement. _W-We have a case? _She couldn't believe her ears. It had been so long since the last case that Mai had a hard time believing his words, surprised at the outcome of the suspicious phone call. "How so?"

Lin appeared at her question with a file in hand as he picked up the remaining cup from the table, handing her the file. "After retracing the call I did some research on the building. Turns out the house is empty. It burnt down sometime last year," He took a sip of his drink, swapping a look with Naru. Mai froze, recalling the smell of the fire as it clouded her senses, hearing the ring of Lin's voice in the background. "The fire crew couldn't save the people trapped inside due to them living in such a remote area," He took a breath. "By the time they arrived, the inhabitants had already passed on and the house was almost burnt down to its wooden frame. The surrounding area caught fire, desecrating the field nearby and burning down parts of the forest enclosing the home."

Mai's senses rushed back to her in a blast, reminding her of the numbing heat running along the palms of her hands. She lurched back in shock, releasing her grip on the cup with a gasp. Lin looked up at her muffled noise, trailing his eyes over her reddened hands with a concerned look.

"Mai," Naru called, catching on to Lin's worry. "Put the cup on the tray."

Mai looked up at him with fear so evident in her eyes, cradling her tingling hands in her lap. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Her hands trembled and she caught her breath, shakily placing the cup on the tray as she tried to dispel her dream of the fire. Was it really such a coincidence?

"What's wrong." He asked, feeling the worry creep up on him. "Is the case similar to the dream you had?"

Mai swallowed the lump in her throat, giving him a rough nod. "Y-Yes..." She averted her gaze to the ground. "There was also a fire."

Lin looked up, trailing his eyes over Mai's distant look before asking, "If there's no one living there, then who called us?"

Naru took another sip of his tea before placing the cup down next to Mai's with a silent thud, glancing thoughtfully at her for a moment. His gaze flickered before he made up his mind, slipping the van's keys from his coat pocket and swinging them around his finger with a passing look. "Let's go find out."

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><p><strong>Day 2. 9:15AM.<strong>

The drive there was surprisingly quiet. Mai hadn't uttered a single word since their departure, only stopping to grab her coat and notebook on the way out. Naru glanced at her reflection in the rear-view mirror, wondering how long her forced silence would last. Her expression had changed during Lin's run over of the case, igniting something deep inside her. Noll knew her latest dream was to blame. It was bound to hold _some_ relevance for this case if it also revolved around a fire.

He narrowed his stare in the mirror at the thought. Mai still hadn't written down her dream. _How convenient._ He thought solemnly, resisting his oncoming glare. At least she remembered to bring her notebook with her.

Mai released a sigh from the back, unconsciously fiddling with her seatbelt as she stretched the revolving material around her fingers, staring vividly at the passing scenery with a pout marring her face. She was still thinking about the dream.

Naru grunted at her look, receiving an odd look from Lin. He sighed. "Just take a nap, Mai," He muttered before focusing back on the roadmap sitting in his lap.

Mai blinked awake at the sound of her name, feeling the seatbelt slip from her grasp. She cleared her throat, peering through startled eyes at her boss as he ran his fingers along an imaginary line on the map in front of him, whispering something to himself at her look. _A nap doesn't sound too bad. _She thought, but suddenly remembered the dream. _It keeps coming back in waves, _She hummed mentally, feeling the uncomfortable heat stick to her back. No, she didn't want to sleep. Not until she made the link between her dream and the case.

Trying to throw her mind elsewhere Mai folded her arms with a brisk pull, feeling her hands tense at every bump the van hit on the road. She tried to focus her gaze out the window, forcing herself to watch the other vehicles pass and overtake with bursts of speed, leaving trails of thin smoke as they moved. _Smoke. It reminds me of the fire _–_No Mai, stop it!_ She ground her teeth, forcing back a whimper.

The assistant closed her eyes, resting her back against the seat as she felt the belt constrict around her. She took a calming breath, focusing on one thing until her heart steadied back into a gentle rhythm, ridding her off the feelings of scorching heat and smoke. She opened her eyes once she was calm, refocusing on the scenery beyond the window.

The road had long faded out of view as the van continued down a gritty path, venturing slowly down a deserted country road as the wheels hit across the uneven terrain, jolting Mai back and forth with every bump. They were the only ones on the road, leaving the other motorists back on the main motorways a few hours ago. Mai didn't think much of it at first, knowing these types of roads were usually quiet. And she didn't think nothing more until they skirted off the road a few miles on at Naru's interjection, pointing at a barely visible path running through a dense forest. It looked more like a hikers trail.

"Naru, are you sure this is the right way?" Mai asked as the approaching forest came into view, making her wonder whether it was a dead end.

"No need to panic," Lin reassured her as he pulled the van into a U-turn, pressing down on the gas pedal to fight across the grassy terrain. "Naru's never wrong."

_You got that right_. She grumbled sarcastically, watching the trees cave in as they entered the woods.

The van sped forward through the overcasting shadows of the trees, leaving dim spots inside the back as they moved. What first appeared as a hikers trail soon turned into a scene from a horror film, leaving Mai to stare nervously out the window, fixing her eyes on the haunting trees; and the further they ventured in, the more worse it got. The trees bent downwards and shielded out the light, leaving an aluminous glow around the tops. The branches were bare and twisted outwards in uncanny ways, stained in an unearthly black. The forests undergrowth was also a pure black in colour, having been denied their needed nutrients from the parched and scorched ground beneath.

It looked dead, like it had been burnt from a forest fire.

Mai waited with baited breath, and it felt like hours had passed before they finally reached the edge of the woods, allowing her to release her held breath at the sight of the warming sun. She heard Lin's quiet sigh, finding herself looking in the rear-view mirror at the spooked Chinese assistant. She watched his hands untighten from the steering wheel, and he shook off the haunting vibes of the overbearing woods, whereas Naru seemed unaffected.

The van swerved swiftly down the proceeding path until an old-styled Victorian house came into view over the horizon, sitting solitary in the lush field. The ground here appeared untouched by the black dirt covering the forest behind. Mai was apprehensive. It didn't sit right in her stomach.

And despite her quiet whines, they pulled up out front, with Naru and Lin exiting the van first to check out the surroundings. Mai stayed put, not wanting to venture out any time soon. The house out front was an old Victorian-styled building, having been renovated to copy the modern-styled roofs of the houses back in the cities. A splash of white paint covered the front wall, leaving mere speckles across the wooden window panes and glass. Mai was desperately hoping it wasn't the same house the fire took place in, but the creeping heat of the fire made itself known, throwing her desperation out the window.

Taking a deep breath Mai opened the passenger door with an agonisingly slow creak, poking her head out for a quick whiff. It smelt of smoke; the type you'd get from burning wood. She moved her leg through the narrow gap between the van and the door, edging it towards the ground and risking a suspicious glance at the house.

She forced her body out with it –despite the nervous chill climbing up her back, scanning the edge of the forest for any moving black shapes hidden amongst the brush before rushing over to Naru. With a quick glance at the house Mai tugged on the sleeve of his black jacket, grabbing his attention.

"I thought you said the house burnt down?" Her voice came out sharper than she had intended.

Naru nodded. "I did."

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><p><strong>Posting Date: <strong>31st October 2014

**Symm: **Happy Halloween, is anyone doing anything good? I'm spending the night at my friend's to have a Horror Move fest. We're going to carve pumpkins which is something I've never done before. Have a nice night!

Thanks for the reviews **liqur** and **RosetheWoldgirl!**

Thanks for the follow **Animeloverdj!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt.

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><p><strong>Burnt Desires: Part 3<strong>

The pair stood solid, staring up at the house in confusion. If Lin's research was correct, then there should be practically nothing left of this house. And yet, here it was, standing in all its glory before the paranormal research team without a hint of a fire ever taking place! It made Mai wonder whether it was the right house or not, even though she knew it probably was. The creeping smell of fire and uncomfortable heat were proof of it. But it still couldn't hurt to ask.

"Naru, are you _sure _this is the right house?" She heard herself say, feeling her palms itch at the silence.

Naru turned on her with a hard glare and stared at her for a brief moment before releasing a deep exhale. "I followed the route on the map Mai, which I'm _certain_ is correct." He said.

The corners of her lips dipped down into a soppy frown, expressing her frustration. "Well...Are you sure it was the right-"

"_Mai_. Enough-"

"OK, OK, I'm sorry! I won't doubt you again!" She held up her hands, waving them in front of his face. "I-I just wanted to make sure!" She confessed, hurriedly brushing past him in an attempt to escape his glare. She raced towards the van, slipping past Lin and bolting behind the truck.

Naru stared after her, loosely digging the heels of his shoes into the gravelled path. He swapped a look with Lin, running his eyes over Mai's hidden form before looking back at the house, finding no movement from behind the shut curtains of any of the windows. Upon their arrival Naru knew something was up the moment he saw the house. The news report had explained about a fire which desecrated the nearby forest which explained the appearance of the trees with their blackened branches and lack of leaves. But the house itself looked alive in comparison, with its rich wood tones and smooth textures. And he could only think of one rational solution to why the house was still standing.

He had read before that if a spirit was powerful enough, it could create itself an illusion to deter the human mind, producing a make-believe setting from their memory of how a building or place used to look. However, this could only be possible if the spirit held hostile feelings for another based off their past experiences. These memories tend to feed off their negative emotions, mostly the ones that hold deep meanings behind them such as anger, depression, greed, hatred; or the worst of all, _abusive._

If this was the case, then whatever they were dealing with was powerful. If only the news report had showed an image of the house after the fire. Perhaps he should get Yasu to do a little more research.

"Naru," Lin called from the boot of the van, gesturing him over with a quick flick of his wrist. The narcissist ambled over, stopping silently beside his assistant.

"What is it?"

"My shiki are playing up." He said, assessing Naru's cold expression. "They seem confused, like there's something hidden inside the house. Whatever it is, it's powerful." He frowned, casting his eyes over the house, trying to pinpoint the source of the power. "They can't seem to locate where the spiritual energy is coming from."

"Hn." Naru nodded, not taking his eyes off his assistant. "We'll sort it out once we've unpacked the equipment. Let's see what's inside first," He took a step back, calling Mai over with a sharp bark of her name. The assistant poked her head out from behind the van, surprised at her boss' brisk tone, shown by her furrowed brows. "We're going inside," He told her once she was close enough, inclining his head at the building.

Mai groaned quietly to herself, following her boss' gaze towards the house. When neither of the men made a move, Mai puffed out her cheeks, shooting the pair a sour look before stomping in the direction of the building. _Ladies first, I guess_. She joked, approaching the pale green door in a few short steps. Curling her hand into a fist, Mai knocked the surface a good few times, completely missing the door-knocker. Seconds ticked by and no one answered. She looked back at Naru, shrugging her shoulders at the silence. "I guess no one is here-"

The door swung open with a sharpening crack, almost knocking the assistant back with it as a blast of frigid air shot towards them, throwing Mai off her feet with a dizzying push. She felt herself tilt backwards and she struggled to regain her balance, toppling off the high step and landing in a pair of warm arms at the bottom. She gripped the arms encasing her, waiting for the air to pass by them before looking up. Naru stared down at her, silently assessing her for any injuries, and releasing her once he was certain she had caught her breath.

"T-Thanks," She breathed, feeling a blush threaten to cover her cheeks. She quickly swivelled around, hiding her red face from her boss.

"Naru, look." Lin said, pulling their attention to the figure standing in the doorway. Mai looked up with a startled expression, finding herself draw to the very familiar crystal eyes staring back at her. She felt a low buzzing approach from the back of her mind, provoking her memory of the dream she'd seen.

_'She jolted awake, finding a pale face staring back at her in the mirror with haunting crystal eyes.'_

"You almost hit my assistant with your tempered entrance," Naru growled from someone in the distance as she felt the air grow quiet.

Her lip quivered at the approaching scene, feeling her eyes roll back as the figure's eyes bore into hers. "You-" Her mouth parted but her knees buckled from underneath her before she could finish her sentence.

"Mai!"

Her world faded into black.

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><p><strong>Posting Date: <strong>9th November 2014

**Symm: **Wow, thanks for all the reviews and follows guys, I really appreciate it! Also, if you haven't already noticed, I've _finally_ titled the story. I'm also thinking of making this a long story, maybe...I have a few other case ideas, but if you guys don't want another case after this one then I'll leave it as it is! Thanks for reading!

Thanks for the review **RosetheWolfgirl!**

Thanks for the follows **TheUnquietDead, RosetheWolfgirl, khodijah98 and ****percabeth8!**

Thanks for the favourites **jenna110110, RosetheWolfgirl, Nena Snow, TheUnquietDead and book of eternity!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt.

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><p><strong>Burnt Desires: Part 4<strong>

**Day 2. 10:40AM.**

_"Mom, where are you going?"_

_The voice echoed throughout the transparent dream world, washing over Mai's fallen form. Her hand twitched as the words played out in her mind, holding a curious tone to them. She rolled onto her side, already forgetting how she got here. From afar she watched a new scene unfold with tired, hazel eyes, finding herself in a white void filled with nothing but the voice as it echoed from within._ Is this another dream? _She asked herself, trying to clear her head._ _And where was Gene?_

_A young girl appeared in the picture appearing in her early teens, following after an older woman holding a suitcase._

_"Are you going on another trip?" the teen asked, tugging on the woman's sleeve and needling her with questions. "Does Dad know?"_

_"O-Of course he does," The woman inwardly flinched, smiling sweetly at the teen and patting her head with a tense hand. "It's...a work related trip." She paused, tightening her grip on the case. "I-I'll be back in a few days, so there's no need to worry." She kissed her forehead before turning away, walking into the white void with her retreating steps. The teen, who Mai presumed to be her daughter, stared after her with outstretched hands, reaching out to her mother's disappearing form._

_"B-But Dad doesn't like it when you go on trips!" She cried desperately, stumbling after her. "Mum! D-Dad will be angry again. I don't want that!" She yelled, giving Mai a good view of her face. "I don't like it when Dads angry! Scary." She shivered. "H-He's scary!"_

_The assistant swallowed her shock, meeting the gaze of the young teen's startling look. Again. It was those crystal eyes from before. "Y-You-You're that girl from my dream," Mai stuttered, standing on shaky legs. "It's the same as the figure in the doorway-"_

_"You should wake up." The teen said, narrowing her eyes into slits as a few more tears escaped. "You should-"_

"-wake up Mai!"

The assistant opened her eyes, blinking away the white spots shrouding her vision. "...Naru?"

Noll stood before her, settling his eyes on her dazed expression as she looked around curiously, struggling to make out his words. "You fainted." He said, sighing in relief when she leant on her elbows and tried to push herself up. He reached over and grabbed her arms, pulling her forward with a stoic expression before releasing his grip on her.

"W-Where am I?" She asked, flickering her gaze around the room.

They were no longer outside.

Mai took the moment to scan the room, catching a brief whiff of burning wood. She looked over to the fireplace expecting to find a roaring fire, but there was none. _Strange._ She thought, tensing her hands as she contemplated her surroundings, wondering where the smell was coming from. Wiggling her fingers, she ran her hands over the damp material beneath her, finding herself sitting on a muggy couch. "...Are we inside the house?" She sought for her boss' face. "W-Where did the figure-"

"Hi." A foreign face blocked her search, extending their hand at her face. "Sorry about the scare earlier, I'm not used to having visitors."

Mai could only stare wildly at the foreigner, not trusting herself to speak as she zoned in on the figure's crystal eyes. She had mistaken her for a ghost upon the first glimpse, now understanding why at the sight of her pale complexion. Focusing her eyes on the figure's face, she gulped, feeling the stranger stare right back at her, settling on her expression. From her dreams, the glistening blue eyes were a similar factor. Her first dream about the fire was definitely linked, proven by the reoccurring factor of the crystal eyes. But what confused her the most was how her dreams were being provoked by the figure calmly watching her, waiting for a reaction.

The dreams she saw were memories of the dead, either shown to her deliberately or provoked by the strong emotions lingering near the area. But the source of the dreams this time was alive, which confused the young medium even more. Just what was going on?

The figure retracted her hand at Mai's blank stare, reaching up to scratch her head instead. "Um, by the way...Who are you people?"

"The SPR." Naru replied instantly, "We traced an anonymous call to this location."

"A-Anonymous call?"

He nodded, casting a side-glance at Mai. "We got a call from this location last night and decided to track down the individual behind it, believing it to be someone from the _other side_." He paused, taking a breath. "We came expecting to find an abandoned house reduced to smithereens, yet to my _utter _surprise, I find a newly furnished house with a single resident living inside," His tone deepened and he narrowed his eyes, oblivious to the panicked look splayed across Mai's face. "It was reported that a fire broke out here around a year ago, burning a great deal of this house and the surrounding area with it. So _how_, may I ask, are you living in such a newly remodelled house with the only evidence of there ever being a fire residing back in the forest?" He growled out.

"O-Oh...Err, I-I...I think you've got the wrong information!" The woman exclaimed, waving her arms around in a blur. "I-I don't know anything about a fire, but one thing I do know is that _I _called you."

Mai almost choked on her inhale. "Y-You did!?"

The girl nodded, clasping her hands in her lap. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped, taking a breath instead. Her smile faltered as a troubled look flashed across her eyes, not going unmissed by the team. "Hm...My call wasn't really _that _anonymous. I tried talking...but I don't think you could hear me," She looked at Mai, feeling the tension build in her shoulders. "Seeming that I live in such a remote area, I guess you could blame it on a bad connection." She sighed.

Mai rested her hands on her knees and leant forward, casting her eyes downward as the client's words sunk in. It was a plausible defence, one she could have believed; yet Mai couldn't fully grasp such a reason. If all that came through was static, then what was making that mumbling noise?

Lin's fumbling drew Mai's attention, and she watched him fish out his laptop from the satchel sitting idly on the table, securing the password with a quick swipe of the keys. "You purposely called us, so I assume you have a ghost problem." He raised his head, causing his fringe to fall over his eyes. "Could you explain your case?"

The girl nodded woodenly, brushing back a loose strand of silver hair. Her eyes glistened with a ounce of emotion, seeming to grow dazed at his question.

"From the beginning then."

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><p><strong>Posting Date: <strong>28th November 2014

**Symm: **Wow, Christmas is approaching quickly! For some reason, most of my friends already have their decorations up and it's not even DECEMBER! It's crazy, right!? Unless some of you already have them up...But there were even Christmas gifts on sale two days before Halloween down at the shops. I can't get over how sudden it is. *sigh* Oh well. I hope you enjoyed this next instalment, and I promise to try and update quicker next time!

Thanks for reviewing **liqur, AshesCastle, natnatgibbs!**

Thanks for following **DeathWriter97, Makennaandrees, JingleBelleRock, Gally619, TLawxSKyo, kagome1590, AshesCastle, natnatgibbs!**

Thanks for the favourite **Makennaandreese, kagome1590, AshesCastle!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt.

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><p><strong>Burnt Desires: Part 5<strong>

"It began some time after my parents left." The client began, recalling the events with a deflated smile. "T-The downstairs lights would start to flicker at random hours, but I just blamed it on a faulty bulb." She paused. "But then the other lights began flickering until they all started to flicker in sync, and it freaked me out," The client breathed, swapping her gaze from her hands to Lin's syncopated typing. "T-The light flickering happened quite a lot and would keep me up at night. It suddenly stopped then a few days later and I was relieved, having thought that whatever was causing it had moved on. But my thoughts were soon proved wrong." She blinked, slowly curling her delicate hands into fists. "A loud thud sounded not long after I had settled down one night, scaring me out of my wits. Despite my fear I forced myself to the top of the stairs to peer over the banister but it was too dark to make out any detail. I...I-I then- No...S-Something sudden shoved me from behind and sent me tumbling down the stairs-" She broke off, clenching her hands to her chest. "W-Whatever pushed me had already disappeared by the time I reached the bottom. I survived, obviously," She chuckled tiredly, doubt written in her eyes. "With minor injuries of course. And when I finally built up enough courage to crawl back up the stairs, the spirit had left a mark for me to find on the wall." She shivered, shaking her head at the thought.

"W-What did it say?" Mai whispered, seeing the fright creep into her eyes.

"...I-It said 'SCRATCH'."

Lin paused his typing. "Scratch?" He repeated, swapping a confused look with Naru. In all his years of investigating paranormal events, never in his life had he witnessed a spirit leaving behind such a mark, let alone a readable one.

Straightening his jacket, Naru focused his gaze on the client, leaning against the arm of the couch. "Do you know what it means?"

She shook her head, feeling the tension increase in her hands. "No, I haven't got a c-clue, but I believe that something...s-something unholy resides in this house. That's why I called you." She said before releasing a deep sigh, rubbing at the dark circles beneath her eyes. She felt drained from the recent events and hadn't had a proper sleep since the stair incident. She just hoped the SPR could help her.

Mai frowned, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. If the client couldn't explain the marks logic, then how would they fare any better? They didn't have many leads to go on as it was, let alone any research. However, what caught Mai's attention the most was how the client had _started_ her story. If it all began when her parents left, then where are they? Does she live alone? Her lips pursed at the thought, but she shook her head. _No, she can't be. She looks no older than thirteen! _Her brows raised as a different thought popped into mind, and she focused her gaze on the client. "Sorry to interrupt," She whispered cautiously, trying not to shiver under Naru's pointed stare. "I-I just realised that we haven't asked your name..?" She trailed off, unable to shake away her boss' look.

"My name..?" The teen titled her head, seeming clueless at her words.

Not understanding her confusion, Mai opened her mouth to ask again but stopped, feeling something prod at the back of her mind as a sense of awe overwhelmed her, clouding her vision. The teen's expression withered into a bewildered one, and Mai watched as an ounce of doubt filtered into her distant gaze, sparking something dark and surreal across her eyes. Her complexion seemed to grow paler as the darkness shrouded her vision, creeping towards the pupils of her crystal orbs. Mai sat frozen, forcing herself to blink as she watched the blackness cover the girl's eyes, smothering the compelling blue. _Am I seeing things? _She thought to herself, forcing another blink.

For a brief moment, the girl seemed senile with her blackened eyes and chalk-white skin, but the clueless expression tugging at her young features said otherwise, bringing her back to the present. Unfreezing her fear, Mai gripped the fabric of her jeans, whipping her head towards Naru to make sure she wasn't the only one seeing the teen's blackened orbs, hearing Lin's fingers type wildly across his laptop keys.

"Yurei."

_Spirit? _Mai's mind translated the word as she jumped in surprise, slowly turning back around to fix her gaze on the client. She gasped. She had never seen such a compelling look. "...W-What?"

"My name." She smiled lifelessly as her voice filled through the silence.

Mai leaned back, watching the blackness shrink gradually from her eyes, curling away into tiny balls and disappearing back into her irises. The teen's eyes grew dazed, and the familiar blue drew back, glistening under the dimming light of the lamp. She had looked possessed.

The teen shifted her gaze to Lin's hasty typing, moving her hand in an arc as she sighed. "Yes," She said with utmost certainty, nodding to herself. "Yurei is my name."

"_Mai._" Naru's sharp tone brought the assistant back to her senses. Focusing back on her boss Mai bit her lip, seeing the speck of hesitance seep into his eyes. He nodded abruptly at her uncovered ear, hardening his gaze as the assistant took a moment to understand his look. She reached up to where his gaze was settled on, feeling a pen tucked away behind her ear. Her eyes widened in realisation and she grabbed her forgotten hand-sized notepad from her jean pocket before scribbling the client's name down, drawing a large question mark beside it.

Looking back at Naru, Mai caught his pleased nod before he turned to Lin, lowering his voice into a whisper.

Finding herself conflicted with the sudden events, Mai gripped the pen in her grasp, feeling Yurei's eyes on the side of her face. Deciding to save the unsettling discussion for later, Mai brought forth a different matter, one that had been bothering her from the beginning.

"...Where are your parents?" She asked curiously, wanting nothing more than to change the subject.

The client flinched, meeting her gaze with startled blue orbs. "M-My parents?"

Mai nodded, feeling Naru's eyes watching her closely. "Y-You said the activity began once they left. So...where are they now?"

The client's face contorted into a confused grimace. She bent forward, appearing in pain as her hands cradled her temple, rubbing gentle circles into the side of her head while she thought, unaware of the three sets of eyes settled upon her. "...My mother. She's away on a trip. She's been working abroad for about two years now. Hasn't come back since." She said, blinking rapidly as she tried to process her thoughts. "A-And my...My father..." Her hands tightened against the side of her face. "I-I don't know where he is."

"What do you mean. Why don't you know where he's gone?"

The teen shook her head, causing her dyed silver tresses to cover her face. "I just...don't know?" She shrugged.

Mai watched intensely as Yurei tilted her head sideways, displaying the same dazed look as before. The assistant's gaze hardened unintentionally, seeing the slight twitch of the blackness resurface from beneath her eyelids, quivering with each step as if it was going to overtake her eyes again. Mai forced herself to breath, slowly taking in a breath whilst loosening her grip on the pen in her grasp and sliding it into her pocket along with her notepad, never taking her eyes off the client.

"Thank you Miss Yurei, that will be all." Naru interrupted with a firm tone, speaking over the droning taps of Lin's typing. The assistant pressed a few more keys before finishing off, closing the lid down with a silent thud. He reached behind him towards the unused desk and grabbed a thin case file, handing it off to Naru.

Noll pulled out a hidden pen from under his sleeve and scribbled something at the top, pausing to look at the client. "Miss Yurei, would you tell me your surname."

Mai followed her boss' line of sight as the pair of them stared intently at the client, watching for the change in her eyes.

Yurei smiled. "It's Hachimitsu," She said without delay.

Mai saw the hesitance on Naru's face as his gaze lingered a little longer, as if waiting for something to happen. _Did he also see the blackness in her gaze? _Seconds passed and there was still no change. Inhaling deeply, Naru inclined his head and wrote down her name before handing the file back to Lin, discarding the pen back up his sleeve.

"So...Will you take my case?" Yurei asked, twiddling her thumbs nervously behind her back.

Naru's paused, sending Mai a '_I need to speak with you' _look before jerking his head into a nod, gesturing for Lin to pack up his things.

Yurei smiled happily, nodding her head in thanks while Mai gulped, feeling the dread swirl around her stomach. Running a hand down her face Mai released a long audible sigh, staring worriedly after Naru as he got up to leave. Lin followed closely behind him, stopping only to nod at Mai before continuing on, leaving the assistant alone with the young client.

"Well..." Mai chuckled awkwardly, scratching her head at the silence.

Yurei giggled along with her, oblivious to the tense atmosphere loitering between them. "Thank you for taking my case," She bowed her head, sending Mai a genuine smile. "I was afraid you'd turn me down and go back to Tokyo, especially after seeing my...erm, living predicament."

"Oh, no, it's fine. You just look so young to be living on your own." Mai said shaking her head, even though she _knew_ there was something iffy about the whole thing. She had to talk to-

Naru's head popped around the corner of the entryway, startling the assistant wildly as her heart jumped at the sight of his irritated glare, demanding her presence. Swallowing a lump in her throat, Mai nodded tensely, wringing her hands in her lap as her lips twisted into a strained smile. _I guess now's the right time to ask!_

"A-Anyway, I better go help my boss with the equipment!" She scrambled to her feet, taking measured steps towards the door. "Oh! And if you have a spare room it would help us a lot if you could direct us to it once we're ready." She murmured, casting a quick wave back before rushing out the door and hurrying after her boss' retreating form.

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><p>Naru moved along the corridor with long, decisive steps, taking his time to ensure his assistant would catch up. His footsteps made the slightest echo as he walked, leaving his arms to brush against his sides, and advancing on until he felt he had distanced himself enough from the room the client was currently occupying. He wanted to talk with Mai in private; out of Miss Yurei's earshot.<p>

Stopping halfway down the corridor Naru turned off into an alcove branching off from the hall, pausing for breath. He listened to Mai's hurried steps as she approached, almost missing his lean form tucked away behind a ridge in the wall. She stopped in front of him while he assessed her with his eyes, catching a glimpse of the empty corridor behind. Noticing her gaze turned towards the floor rather than upon himself, Naru cleared his throat, feeling slightly irritated with her lack of eye contact. His brow dipped as she bit her bottom lip, shyly running her eyes along the length of his arm before finally meeting his gaze.

Naru stood patiently, setting his mask in place as he stared at her with impassive eyes, expecting her to break the silence first.

Suddenly becoming aware of the missing person, Mai searched his gaze for an answer but he gave nothing away. She furrowed her brows at his blank stare, wondering what emotion he was keeping pent up inside them. "Where's Lin?" She whispered, casting a quick glance back over her shoulder to ensure there was no one else around.

"He's unloading the van." Naru said, his voice detached from any emotion.

Mai frowned but nodded anyway, her mind already moving on to the next issue. She sighed deeply. Just the thought of it gave her goose-bumps, but she needed to toughen up. Hardening her gaze, Mai began to speak. "Did you notice anything strange with how Yurei acted when I asked for her name?" She pondered, picturing the scene all over again.

Naru skimmed his eyes up and down her tense form, giving her a brief nod. "Of course I did." He replied.

She sighed in relief, relaxing the tension in her shoulders. "Oh, thank Kami," She breathed, shaking her head. "I-I thought I was the only one! When her eyes started changing colour I thought I was _seeing_ things, b-but I wasn't!" Mai released a staggered sigh, shoving away her previous doubts. Her boss narrowed his gaze, waiting for her to continue. "A-And it happened again when I asked about her parents...But it was strange." She paused. "It was like she had completely forgotten herself, l-like she couldn't remember who she was..." Her voice trailed off, recalling the spine-tingling sight of the client's crystal eyes as she became dazed and almost robotic, leaving Mai to wonder what had happened. "Is it possible...that she was being possessed?"

Naru hid his sudden surprise at his assistant's feasible question, widening his eyes a fraction at her contemplating look. "It is a possibility." He nodded while his mind reeled back in shock, whirling around his memories until he found the book he had once read upon the issue, having stored the contents in a locked cavern of his mind for a later case such as this one. "Possession comes in two forms," He began. "There is _Spirit Possession,_ which could consist of a low class Kami or disincarnate entity taking temporary control over a human body, but only for a short amount of time. In this case, Yurei appeared to be bewitched by some sort of paranormal entity –hence the change in her appearance; making this first case of possession possible." He paused, making out his assistant's curious stare amongst the dimming light overhead. Raising an inquisitive brow, Naru continued. "The second type is much more dangerous than the first, and is known as _Demonic Possession_. This initiates complete and utter control over the human body, allowing them access to the being's memories and thought processes, which makes them very difficult to catch, but doesn't seem to be the case here. If Yurei was indeed possessed by a _Demonic _entity, the physical changes wouldn't be so apparent-"

"-And she wouldn't have called our base." Mai interrupted, somewhat understanding the gist of his paragraph of speech. "If the Demon spirit had complete control over her movement, it wouldn't have called in a ghost busting team to sort out the supposed 'hauntings' unless it was on a suicide mission!" She gasped, rubbing soothing circles across her temples at the overload of information.

Naru flashed her an irritated look, feeling his eye twitch. But nonetheless, he felt a bead of conceited affection for the girl at her intelligent remark. Honing his gaze on his assistant Naru became aware of the pleased smirk tugging at his lips, verbally announcing his pleased thoughts to the girl. "Well done, Mai." He winced as soon as the words left his mouth, not used to expressing such kind words to anyone. Not even Lin.

Mai's eyes lit up with excitement as she bounced on the spot. She had never heard him praise her, let alone _anyone_ before. Naru felt something inside him twitch at his assistant's delighted expression, withdrawing his amusement and tucking it behind his usual stoic mask as if her excitement was contagious.

_Damn it. _He cursed internally, forcing himself to turn away from his assistant before he too began smiling. She was like a disease. "Moving on-"

"A-Ah, no, wait!" She interrupted, _again_. "Y-You said that it's more possible that Yurei has been possessed by a spirit rather than a demon due to the obvious change in her physical appearance. So how come her eyes were the only thing that changed?"

Naru sighed, wondering why she was so inquisitive today of all days. "If I must enlighten you Mai, the eyes are sometimes perceived as another passage way into the soul. By looking into a being's eyes, you are given unlimited access to that person's emotions and _life source_. For a spirit to possess a human they must firstly find a way in, which in most cases, are the eyes. Stronger spirits are able to pass through without much of a struggle, only inflicting a small change on the being. However, lower class spirits can't possess someone without inducing a drastic change to the person's features." He paused for emphasis, giving her time to understand. "Yurei's eyes turned a pure black at one point, implying that she was possessed by a lower classed spirit due to the drastic change."

Mai nodded her head slowly, putting a finger to her lips in thought. "So we have a low class spirit on our hands."

"Yes. Or perhaps more."

"Ah, more than one- W-WOAH! WAIT A MINUTE!" She yelled, receiving a well-earned glare from her boss. "Since when were there more than one!?"

"Mai. You'll wake up the neighbours if you keep on."

"N-Neighbours? We're in the middle of no where, Naru! Why an earth would you-"

"_Precisely_." He cocked his head in amusement, casting her a smug expression.

"Wha-" Mai choked on her words, flushing a bright red at the narcissist's comment. _Did he just crack a joke..?_

Picking up on the girl's shock and surprise, Naru released yet another sigh, removing himself from their hiding spot with a smirk marring his face. Mai snapped out of her frozen state and stared at the empty spot before her. _Huh? _The blind assistant blinked and stumbled out from the alcove, spotting her boss' retreating form heading towards the front entrance. As if sensing her presence behind him Naru paused momentarily, waiting to hear the sounds of Mai's following footsteps before carrying on, keeping his smirk in place.

"W-Wait!" Mai panted. "Where are we going?"

Naru turned back, raising a perfect brow at her question. "To fetch the equipment." He mused, loud enough for her to catch the rebounding echo of his voice travelling down the corridor. With a smooth turn the narcissist carried on, leaving a dumbfounded assistant to stare after him.

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><p>Naru opened the front door of the house with a silent twist of the handle, feeling the soft caress of the setting suns warmth wash over him as he exited the house. His legs carried him towards the van where he found Lin stood behind the back of the boot, surrounded by boxes of equipment. Spotting his boss Lin dusted off his hands and closed the boot, handing him back the vans keys with an outstretched hand.<p>

"Interesting isn't it." Lin noted after Noll took the keys, staring at the house behind them with open curiosity.

Naru nodded, glancing back with him at the stable building. To say he was surprised to see the house still standing on their first arrival was an understatement. No, not curiosity. It more like, _interest_. He had expected to find the burnt down remains of what _would _have been a house, and still believed so as they came across the charred forest. And yet here it stood in all its –_cheap_ –glory, holding no remnants of a fire ever happening.

Something was bothering him, prodding at the back of his head in hopes of him turning around. _Strange_. He thought quietly, drawing his gaze towards the assistant to see if he too had felt it. Lin peered at him through a muddled gaze, too lost in his thoughts to make out the boy's expression. _Apparently not_. Focusing back on the equipment laying at their feet, Naru couldn't help but give in to the prickling feeling, and soon found himself staring at the oddity lingering amongst the tree line of the forest.

The muggy fog wavered clumsily in its solitary position, staying settled around the edge of the surrounding area. Naru frowned, narrowing his gaze at the tints of purple tendrils creeping in between the unnatural fog, as if urging the substance to stretch out further and encase them in it.

"Lin." He heard himself call out to the older assistant. "Your shiki."

Quickly catching onto the source of Naru's concern, Lin sent out his shiki towards the offending fog, stretching them further towards the edge of the forest. He instantly winced as the captured spirits made contact with the mist, feeling them reel back in shock at the uncanny power radiating from within. It wasn't a natural fog.

"They can't penetrate it." Lin informed him, pulling his shiki back towards him to rest. "The fog isn't natural, but I believe you already sensed that before you asked. The fog is weak, yet something...is keeping my shiki at bay." He frowned disapprovingly.

"Wow, that's some creepy fog."

Naru almost visibly jumped as Mai's voice caught him by surprise as he whirled around to face her, refraining himself from showing any physical shock at her sudden appearance. He hadn't heard her come out.

"Ehe, sorry for interrupting." She smiled sheepishly, scratching her head at his displeased glare.

Showing no sign of acceptance of her apology Naru chose to turn away instead, hiding his sudden shock as he put his mask back into place. "Mai," He bit out, irritation filling his tone. "Help bring in the equipment," He stalked towards the van. When Mai made no move to help he beckoned her over with a frustrated sigh, sorting through the nearest set of monitors with a strained look. He felt her gaze settle on the back of his neck. She still hadn't moved.

"Don't just stand there, Mai. We've got work to do." He barked, ignoring Lin's sceptical look.

Mai huffed and shoved her hands on her hips, feeling an angry reply rise up her throat, and only one word came to mind. _Narcissist._

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><p><strong>Posting Date: <strong>17th December 2014

**Symm: **I think I've got a short case of writers block, and I'm surprised that I came out with such a long chapter. It's probably due to the fact that I haven't got a solid plan for this story yet, which seems to be a big mistake on my part. But I want to try and put up at least two more chapters before Christmas, so I guess I'll have to bounce some ideas off before continuing. Sorry for the wait!

Thanks for following **Natalie9653, TheTrickstersgirl!**

Thanks for the favourite **TheTrickstersgirl!**

Thanks for reviewing **natnatgibbs!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt.

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><p><strong>Burnt Desires: Part 6<strong>

Ambling over, Mai crouched down beside her boss and reached over to give him a helping hand, taking away his box of monitors with a thief's grace and catching his hand in the process. Naru shot her his famous glare, eyeing his stolen box of treasures held captive in her grasp. Mai bit her lip, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks at the sudden contact. She forced back a gulp, holding down her blush with a concentrated scowl aimed at the ground.

She swivelled shyly on the heels of her feet away from her boss, staring heatedly into the plastic box filled with many, _many_ monitor screens, scrutinising the overflowing stacks protruding out from the top. Ignoring her boss' pointed stare, Mai gently flicked through the screens, counting each stack with her index finger. Naru already seemed to be in a foul move, and she just hoped Yurei had managed to sort out a spare room for their base.

"Mai." Naru's voice brought her out from her thoughts, and she turned towards him, catching the brisk shake of his head. "What do you think about Miss Yurei's name?" He asked suddenly, catching her by surprise.

Mai blinked, plopping herself down on the firm ground. "Yurei's name?" She pondered, resting her hands in her lap. Thinking it over Mai thought back to their discussion with the client, picking and tugging at the past memory until she suddenly found what she was looking for and gasped, realising what he meant. Before her mind could catch up she reached into her pocket and fished out her notebook, flipping to the page where she had written down the clients name in her rushed, clumsy handwriting. "_Spirit_," She said aloud, meeting Naru's gaze.

"In Japanese folklore, _Yurei_ translates to ghost –or more commonly, _dim spirit_." Naru said, cautiously reaching for his stolen box. "It's an odd name, not like one I've ever heard of before." He continued, edging his hand closer until his fingers were a few inches away.

"Odd indeed!" Mai snatched the box up from his prying claws and shoved herself to her feet, dusting herself down with a free hand. "Yurei _Hachimitsu_." She rolled the name off her tongue, pursing her lips at the sound it made.

Cocking his head at the sound, Naru couldn't stop the smirk that tugged at his lips, wondering how his name would sound falling from her lips. "Her surname seems completely normal in comparison to her given name, making me wonder whether the spirit 'influencing' her is trying to be funny."

"S-So you're saying it's not her _real _name?" Mai frowned. She hadn't thought about it like that.

"No. I'm certain it's not." He stood up to join her, still determined to get his box back. After all, _he _had grabbed it first before it was rudely snatched away by the meddlesome girl standing beside him.

As if sensing his eyes on the box, Mai deepened her frown, staring at his hands resting against his hips. His long, _s-slender_ hips- "AH!" The blushing assistant almost slapped herself at the thought, startling the narcissist who simply raised a concerned brow, staring at her in disbelief at her sudden yell. Lin hadn't even flinched. Tightening her grip on the box, Mai shoved the monitors at Naru's chest, keeping her head bowed to hide her embarrassed flush. _Where had _that_ come from!?_

Not being able to trust herself in his presence, the assistant gave him a quick little push, spinning him around to face the house before ushering him inside. Finding himself in a sticky predicament, Naru sighed deeply, going along with Mai's sudden pushy demands as he retreated into the house and let out a low chuckle, shaking his head with mirth.

Making sure the door had been shut behind the narcissist Mai cradled her head in her hands, wondering what had provoked such a thing. Since when did she have thoughts like that over her boss? _HER BOSS! _How is that even possible!? Mai groaned into her hands, desperately trying to think of something else to get her mind off of things.

Lin cleared his throat from behind the van's boot, quirking his brow at her shameful look. Mustering a glare for the assistant Mai stared him down, looking at him with uncertainty before releasing a sigh, bending down to go through another box of monitors. After counting the first stack Mai stopped, swapping her gaze from the monitors to Lin as something sparked in her thoughts, reminding her of a question that had been left unsolved.

Naru had managed to divert her attention at the time, muddling her thoughts with his sudden crack of humour and confusing her to no ends as she stood in the middle of the corridor, wondering if he'd been hit over the head with something hard and _heavy_. And for some reason Naru had refused to '_enlighten her'_, as he had put it, leaving her in the dark. But if Naru knew the answer, then surely his favourite Chinese assistant would as well. A predatory glint flickered across her eyes as she stalked towards her prey, bringing the box with her. "Lin?" She called gently, batting her eyelashes innocently.

The assistant looked down at her with mild shock, supporting Naru's cold stare as she approached. "Yes?"

"Earlier, Naru said that there was possibly more than one spirit haunting this place." She said slowly, struggling to remember what he had called the type of possession. "He said it was something like...Spiritualist Possession, I-I think."

Lin chuckled, crossing his arms in amusement. "_Spirit Possession_." He corrected.

"A-Aha, yeah, that thing." She flushed, embarrassed at her mistake _and_ lack of memory. "Well, he said it was possible that Yurei is being influenced by a weak spirit, and that it can only possess her a few times a day. But then he confused me," She paused, furrowing her brows. "He said there might be more than one spirit..."

Lin nodded before delving into the details. "Low class spirits are weak, which is why they can only possess the host's body for a few minutes each day. They are not strong enough to materialise fully, nor are they able to move furniture and objects around at their pleasure because of their weak souls. The only way for them to interact with us is to take over someone else's body and almost 'lend' their ability to move and touch, having a brief amount of power that allows them to _influence_ their host for a short time." Lin explained, leaning against the van. "Since this spirit is weak and frail, Naru believes there are multiple entity's in the house because a low class spirit like the one possessing Miss Yurei wouldn't be powerful enough to materialise behind her to push her down the stairs." He broke off, giving her time to understand. "There _is_ a possibility of there being a much stronger low classed spirit in the house."

"Great," She pouted, hugging the monitors to her chest. "_More _ghosts."

Lin reached over and patted her head with his large hand, smiling at her childish antics. "That's what you get for working with the paranormal business, Mai." He chuckled lightly, tapping the box in her grasp. "Now, move along," He steered her back towards the house. "Noll will get angry if you don't start taking the equipment in." He pushed her lightly inside, smiling at her doubtful stare. "Go on!" He laughed when she didn't move, nudging her further in and closing the door shut behind her before she could say anything. "_Women._" He muttered with a shake of his head, casting a withdrawn look at the approaching fog.

"...I guess I'd better get to work too."

* * *

><p>Mai stared frustratingly at the wall of wood blocking her passage, tightening her grip on the box in her grasp. "<em>Men<em>." She grumbled half-heartedly under her breath, releasing her frustration to the house with a silent growl. Although Lin seemed a little cold and reserved at times, to Mai he was more friendly and considerate but he wasn't the type to shower her with affection like Ayako or Bou-san; Lin was just, _Lin._

Mai treated the rest of the team like her second family because they were always there for when she got into trouble or needed help. But most importantly, they kept her occupied from her lonely apartment.

Shaking her head Mai spun on her heel with a begrudging look, slowly making her way down the corridor in hopes of bumping into Yurei, having forgotten to ask her about some spare rooms for them to stay in until they solved the case. _I just hope I don't bump into Naru instead_. She gulped.

Breathing out a sigh as she passed the main staircase, Mai suddenly became aware of the feeling of being watched from the top of the stairwell. Her steps faltered as a frigid breath washed over her, settling around her shoulders and making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on edge. Her eyes widened in fear as she felt her hands tightened around the box clutched so tightly to her chest –her grip being so tight that her knuckles turned white. An immense emotion sliced straight through her and Mai couldn't help the frightful whimper that escaped her lips, jarring her thoughts as she stumbled to a halt. Her legs stung from the lack of attention, spiking Mai's worry and panic.

_Run._

With a determined look Mai forced her feet into action, quickening her pace into a run as she hurriedly escaped from the spirit's overbearing gaze, not daring to chance a look back. Her shoes slapped against the floor with her fear egging her on, locking her grip around the equipment held stiffly against her chest, enduring the pain as the edges of the box dug into her arms.

Feeling her breaths turn into ragged pants Mai slowed down once she had put a good distance between herself and the entity, not wanting to overexert herself as she settled her pace into a walk. If her grip hadn't been so tight around the box of equipment she would have certainly dropped it. Pushing her thoughts aside, Mai bit her lip and carried on with her walk, wondering perhaps if the spirit she'd just encountered had something to do with the entity that had pushed Yurei down the stairs. Both incidents just so happened to come about in the same setting, making her wonder whether it was just a simple coincidence or not.

Shaking her head Mai loosened her grip on the box, hearing the faint taps of approaching steps resounding don the hall. Mai looked up at the owner of the steps, recognising the familiar set of black locks sitting atop the figure's head. His placid expression somehow aroused her earlier thoughts of his tall, lean figure, causing a deep flush to skim across her cheeks. _Not again!_ She cursed inwardly, feeling her cheeks heat up with an uncomfortable blush.

Naru nodded at her as he passed, watching as her drop her head suddenly at the sight of him, hiding her face behind a curtain of hair, holding the box higher to hide her embarrassed flush. His chest rumbled as a quiet chuckle emitted from his lips, widening his strides as his lips quirked up into a smirk.

Mai cursed her unreliable emotions, wishing she could pull off a solid poker face like Masako. She couldn't understand her thoughts lately, hating how her mind was acting. Sure, her boss _was_ attractive and she wasn't afraid to admit that. She had always noticed how some of the clients gave him second looks; even Masako had used him as eye candy, yet her actions were proved wrong when it came to light on _how _she had managed such a thing. Through blackmail of course. But Mai wasn't like them. She had more pure intentions and would never force someone to pretend to date them –something which differentiated her from the TV star.

Breaking out from her thoughts Mai came upon the room she deemed as their base, stopping beside the open door which appeared to be inviting her in. Eyeing the equally balanced equipment in her hands, Mai stepped forward and entered the room, noticing the box of monitors sitting lonesome on a shabby couch positioned in the centre of the room, displaying the lack of housewarming attributes in the bare and practically empty room.

"Is it big enough?"

"A-Ah!" Mai yelped in surprise at the sudden voice, dropping the box of monitors with a loud _thump_ at her feet. Naru was going to kill her! Biting her lip, Mai spun around to meet her surprise attacker, feeling her heart pound against her ribcage. "Y-Yurei." She gasped, focusing her startled brown orbs on the client staring right back at her with a bewildered expression.

"Did I startle you?" Yurei asked with a sheepish grin, taking in Mai's rattled appearance. "Sorry!"

"N-No, no." Mai shook her head, calming her heart with a sigh. "I wasn't-"

"_MAI!_" Naru's angered yell came from the front of the house. "That had better not have been the equipment!"

The assistant almost jumped out of her skin, holding back a scream at her boss' sudden shout. She'd never heard anything quite like it. Fearing Naru's wrath, the bewildered assistant stumbled in the process of grabbing the box, grasping it with her shaking hands before hurriedly depositing it on the couch next to Naru's box, replying with a stuttered, "N-NOPE! I think you're hearing things, Naru!" She yelled back, shooting an apologetic frown at Yurei before rushing out the door of the make-shift base, _away_ from her boss' nearing steps.

"_Mai!_"

Mai rushed on ahead with her escape, skidding past dusty tables and muggy chairs in an attempt to lead him elsewhere. For now she just needed a place to hide; somewhere nice and quiet, and away from her boss' temper. She'd return once he'd toned it down. Pushing herself on, Mai kept running until her legs were tingling with exhaustion, finding herself skirting back around towards the entrance of the house, halting at the sight of the stairs. Choosing a door at random, Mai scurried into a dainty closet hiding beneath the staircase, hoping the spirit was long gone. Her foot connected with the door and she lunged inside, kicking it shut with a swift boot.

A relieved sigh escaped her lips and she slid down the back of the door, resting her head against the cold wood. She had taken the cowards route out, and was willing enough to wait out in hiding long enough for Naru to cool off. She was _praying_ to the Kami, hoping that she hadn't broken any of the equipment. "Unlikely." She muttered miserably.

This was going to be a long night.

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><p>When Naru arrived at the base, Mai was no where to be seen. The girl had presumably disappeared on purpose, leaving the narcissist to wonder where his cowardly assistant had escaped to. She was a slippery devil.<p>

Moving further into the room Naru didn't stop until he reached the couch, catching a glimpse of a figure in the corner of his eye. His gaze drifted over to the person perched daintily on the couch, staring back at him with her startling blue orbs. "Miss. Yurei."

The client nodded her head. "_Shibuya._" She replied sarcastically, twirling a casual finger around a strand of her silver locks. "Are you looking for Mai?" She pondered curiously, eyeing the narcissist knowingly.

Naru peered back with clouded eyes, catching the faint whiff of smoke. _Strange_. He thought internally, darting his gaze around for the source of the smell, sending the client a stiff nod when he found nothing.

Yurei giggled behind her hand, brushing off the imaginary dust from her skirt. "Mai ran off." She told him, glancing over her shoulder. Naru followed her gaze. "She went _that_ way," She pointed to the right, dishing out her new friend without a blink of an eye.

"Hn." Noll grumbled quietly to himself, eyeing the dented monitor box sitting innocently on the couch. The client's stare settled on his back as he walked towards the couch before perching beside the box and pulling it into his lap for closer inspection. "...Where is Lin?" He scanned the rims and screens of the monitors in the box, flicking between them with precise yet tentative fingers.

Yurei pursed her lips. "You mean the tall Chinese man?" She pondered. Naru almost grimaced at the client's unintentional labelling. "Oh. Well, the last time I saw him he was out patrolling the gardens." She replied, noticing the way he suddenly tensed. Thinking he was worried about the older gentleman, Yurei waved a comforting hand, trying to reassure him of any worries. "I'm sure he'll be back soon! I swear, he was heading back inside." She lied, scratching her head with a sheepish grin.

But no. Noll wasn't _worried. _He was _angry_. His eyes scrutinised the tiny mark covering the corner of the equipment, tightening his grip as his eyes blazed a deep, rigid cerulean. No wonder the brunette had run.

There was a crack in the screen.

Massaging his temples from the incoming headache Noll's temper rose sporadically, growling out a spine-tingling, _"Idiot,"_ under his breath, sending out a strong wave of his power at the sight of the dented screen. Yurei flinched at the sudden dip in the atmosphere, feeling a heavy weight slice through her dull, humane senses as her body rocked with uncontrollable shivers. Not wanting to stick around Yurei bolted to her feet, mumbling about needing to be elsewhere before scurrying out the door.

Naru's eye twitched beneath his fringe as he focused on loosening his grip around the monitor clutched so tightly in his clasp. Drawing in a frigid breath the narcissist managed to pry the screen from his hands, settling it down separately from the box of miraculously unharmed monitors. Gluing his eyes to the box, Naru forced himself to take a step back before releasing a heavy sigh, pulling back his control on his aura as it fluctuated ever so slightly.

He would deal with punishments later. First he had to find the idiotic culprit, and the only way he knew how was to yell:

_"MAI!"_

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><p>Mai sat quietly in the dark, curling herself around her tucked up knees as she formed a tight ball, resting her head against her legs. Her heart beats rung in her ears through the silence as she leant back in the confined space, feeling the cold, grubbiness of the wooden floor beneath her. Her hazel eyes drew towards what little light there was leaking through beneath the crack in the door, illuminating the clusters of dust bunnies squished under her scuffed shoes. She hadn't bothered to find the light switch since it wasn't worth the risk of being found. She wasn't ready for that.<p>

A shallow groan slipped past her lips, becoming swallowed in the murky darkness as it gradually drew out into a sigh. Mai's hands hovered in front of her face before dragging themselves in a downwards motion, biting her bottom lip. "So no worth it," She grumbled with a bow of her head, avoiding the temptation of turning on the light.

_"-AI!"_ A distant voice rang out from somewhere deep in the house, startling the brunette out from her musings.

The assistant shook away her fear before running her shaking hands through her drab tresses to relieve her jitters, hoping her boss wouldn't find her just yet. Perhaps she should stay a little longer...It couldn't hurt.

Taking on her own advice, she closed her eyes.

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><p><strong>Posting Date: <strong>23rd December 2014

**Symm: **Only 2 sleeps till Christmas! I'm planning on getting another chapter up by tomorrow since I'll be busy for a few days since, well, you know, it's CHRISTMAS! Is anyone doing anything nice for the holidays? I'm staying at home this year (thankfully); spending Christmas away from home is never the same. Thanks for reading :)

Thanks for the favourite **Eun Mi!**

Thanks for reviewing **Ishval, NaginiFay!**

Thanks for following **NaginiFay, Ishval!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt.

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><p><strong>Burnt Desires: Part 7<strong>

**Day 2. 12:45AM.**

A gentle tap sounded from overhead, waking the sleepy assistant from her quiet nap. Mai blinked a few times, finding it difficult at first to adjust to the darkness encasing her as she rubbed her eyes in an attempt to clear her vision. Unaware of the passing time, Mai was oblivious to how long she had spent curled up in the staircase closet as her mouth formed a wide 'O', shortly followed by a large yawn.

She stretched her arms up high, hearing the bones pop as she rocked her shoulders back and forth to stretch the tired limbs. "Naru's going to kill me," She mumbled to no one in particular, dragging her hands down her face with a sigh. Her butt was numb from sitting on the wooden floor for so long, and she wouldn't be surprised if there was grime sticking to her trousers from collapsing beside the dust bunnies. But at least Naru hadn't found her yet.

"I wonder how long I can last." She pondered quietly to herself, receiving a sudden jolt down her spine. Her brows furrowed as she felt something, _someone _prod at her senses, making themselves known by seeping their uninvited aura around her core. The assistant jumped at the loud knock that followed, whipping her head upwards in fright at the ceiling.

Mai didn't like the feeling dwelling in her body. Her gut told her to run, but where would she go? Naru was back at the base and she still wasn't ready to face him. Not after those indecent thoughts that had appeared out of no where. Or perhaps she could follow the disturbing aura towards its owner and fry their ass back to hell!

Neither choice seemed fair.

Mai winced as she straightened her legs out as far as she possibly could in such a cramp space, wincing as her knee connect with something hard and cold. "Ow!" She whined, rubbing her abused knee as she attempted to stand. That was probably going to leave a bruise. Creasing her forehead, Mai stood up carefully, being mindful of the low ceiling until she could finally stand, leaning forward with a slight bend. "Stupid ceiling." She stropped, struggling to find her balance as she hopped on one foot, almost hitting her head on the ceiling. "Stupid Naru."

_'Tap! Tap!'_

Mai looked up at sound of knocking, wondering why the being wanted her attention so badly. An odd feeling washed over her and before she knew it she had placed her hands upon the ceiling, pressing her palms down against the slick, bumpy texture as another knock sounded, rocking through her palms. Her mind whirled at the foreign feeling that attacked her core, coiling around her like tentacles as her breath cut short, hearing another knock sound before she felt it shake through her fingers. Every hit felt like an earthquake to her, jolting through her body like a soul passing through.

Her vision buzzed with white spots as another thump hit above her hands, feeling the coils tighten as her breathing halted and a distant cold seeped into her bones. Her lip trembled with fear, feeling her energy begin to drain into the ceiling as if an Incubus was sucking away her life flow. _It hurts-_

Mai jumped as a loud knock struck against the wall planted firmly between her hands and the being, breaking out of her reverie as the sound echoed with a ear-shattering boom. Regaining her vision, Mai quickly removed her hands from the roof before it could trance her again, making a quick dash for the door.

Her body hit the surface with a resounding smack and she found herself stumbling back from the collision, seeing only white for a moment before her eyesight cleared, racing towards the door again and reaching for the handle. The knocks rapped in mismatched patterns, sounding at too many random intervals to belong to one person. Each one grew more violent while her fingers fumbled around the lock, not remembering when she had locked the door. The knocks switched dramatically to fierce hammers and Mai fought against the scream clawing up her throat.

At this point in time she no longer cared how angry Naru would be, she just had to get out of this madhouse and escape; and Naru was her best option to run to.

Her eyes glanced frightfully through the dark, finding herself giving up on the lock as she took a step back, tensing her muscle before throwing herself against the door and bracing herself for the impact. But the door hardly budged. So Mai hit it again, and again, throwing her shoulder in for a good measure as her anger and fear fuelled her on. She barely heard the distinctive noise of the lock sliding back over the pounding hits before she burst through the door with a rough stumble, suddenly becoming blinded by the white light pouring in from the windows.

The terrified assistant collapsed on her knees, rubbing her face hastily as cold tears pricked the corners of her eyes. Mai pushed back her tears as her eyes drew towards the top of the stairs, lingering on the area above the closet where the spirit had been. A shiver ran down her back at the overpowering presence as it stayed rooted in its spot. Mai tightened her hands around the fabric of her shirt, stretching the ends mercilessly as the spirit provoked her fear. She settled her alert eyes on the being.

And it stared right back.

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><p>Naru checked his watch for the umpteenth time, patiently waiting for Mai to return to base. She had been gone for a good hour, having run off at 12:01AM with the time now being 12:53AM. He had expected her to show up after Yurei's much needed departure -her useless babbling irked him like no other. But Mai had yet to return.<p>

The idiot had probably gotten herself lost somewhere, lying unconscious in a room and trapped within her dream world. It wouldn't surprise him. Mai had proven him wrong many times before with the variety of impossible situations she had gotten herself into over the past year or two, surpassing his beliefs entirely. _Speaking of dreams_, He thought bitterly, crossing his arms over his chest with a gruff expression. _She still hasn't told me about her dream in connection with the telephone call._

Noll released a sigh, biting back the urge to go screaming her name around the corridors in hope of scaring her out. With Lin off patrolling the gardens Naru was left _yet again _to find the idiot; he had waited for her long enough.

With a flex of his hands Noll exited the room with large strides, leaving behind the box of abused monitors as proof of Mai's careless handling of his equipment, reminding him to think of a suitable punishment for her later. His feet covered a great distance with each stride, so wide in fact that it would take his idiotic assistant three extra steps just to keep up with him. He travelled along the main corridor, his footsteps silent as he moved onward scanning the surrounding area for any scurrying blobs of brown within the vicinity.

A few strides later found Naru heading towards the main entrance after picking up on something unsettling. His pace quickened as his senses picked up on two auras, both lingering around the stairwell where they had first entered in. As he grew closer, the darker aura suddenly greeted his threatening presence, reaching out to him before he could investigate at a closer range. Naru's aura shifted around himself, expanding slightly at the offending spirit as it began to attack his outer shell, picking and tugging at his power for a way in. But what worried him the most was the familiarity of the second aura. It reminded him of-

_Mai._

Noll pushed on quicker, flaring his own power in warning at the malcious ghost, batting it away with an effortless swipe of his hand before stalking forward, intent on reaching his assistant. He almost halted at the scene.

Mai sat slumped over her legs, kneeling stiffly on the ground with her hands clenched into fists in her lap, staring fearfully at something far off. Naru slowly moved towards her, taking precautious steps as he felt a sudden spike in her aura. He lowered himself down beside her into a crouch, balancing on the tips of his shoes while his hands reached forward and stopped in front of her face in an attempt to draw her attention.

When her gaze remained the same, Naru sighed deeply before following her line of sight towards the stairs, feeling the familiar prod against his aura. The spirit, a black mass of fading smog stood hovering above the stairs, trying to attach a part of itself onto Naru while the other half held a staring match with his assistant, probably being the cause of the spike in her aura.

The open storage closet beneath the stairs caught his attention with its damaged state, making him wonder how it had obtained such a heavy imprint in the wood. His gaze focused back on his assistant, suddenly noticing the darkening bruises brandishing the skin below her shoulders and across her arms. It only took him a second to connect the dots. By the looks of things, Mai had probably been hiding in the closet, having locked herself in until something either shoved her forwards to force her out, or until she herself had intentionally thrown herself at the door to escape the spirit.

He had to get her back to base.

"Mai." Naru called her name, gently uncurling her fisted hands to break her out from her reverie. And it seemed to work.

"...N-Naru?" Her voice broke with unshed tears, suddenly noticing his presence beside her. Her hands tightened around his, resisting the urge to cling onto him and cry.

With a collective expression Naru faced her surge of tears, ignoring the clamminess of her hands as he pulled her to her feet, allowing her to lean against him for the time being until she regained her balance. "Come on, let's get you back to base." He spoke calmly with his gaze settled on the spirit above the stairs. He released a fraction of his aura, warning the spirit back with a scowl set in place, daring it to make an advance. When Mai made a move to look up at the spirit he growled, moving in front of her to block her view. "Don't look."

The spirit appeared hesitant, lingering above the top step while Naru took the initiative to move away from the being, guiding Mai back towards the base. He knew it would disappear once they were gone and wouldn't follow as long as they weren't looking at it. Mai's hands loosened in his grip as she finally released a tense breath once they were back in the base.

Naru closed the door quietly behind them as to not startle the girl, waiting patiently for her to calm down. Her hands tensed against his and he gave her a pointed look, drawing her back to reality. "Mai?"

The girl flinched at the sound of her name, feeling her lips tremble as she met his gaze. Naru frowned, wondering how he was supposed to comfort the quivering girl. He cocked his brow, bringing forth his aura as he attempted to wrap it around her form, settling the warmth over her like a blanket.

Mai's eyes watered in gratitude as a comforting heat washed over her, calming her pounding heart once she recognised the aura. "T-Thanks." Her voice shook, struggling to meet his gaze. Instead she found herself staring at their joined hands, eyes suddenly going wide at their sudden contact. She withdrew her hands with a short yelp, stumbling out an apology he probably didn't deserve as an embarrassed blush filled her cheeks. _Not again!_ She groaned mentally, feeling his gaze focus on the side of her face.

Naru simply stared, choosing to ignore it. "What happened."

Her heart thumped loudly in her ears. "I-I..." She frowned, feeling the blush die down from her cheeks as her mind focused elsewhere, recalling her thoughts from earlier so she could get straight to the point. "...I was hiding in the closet beneath the stairs. I must have fallen asleep because when I awoke I heard this knocking sound coming from above...I was curious I guess, and pressed my hands to the ceiling to see if it would sound again. It did a-and it was as if something was c-calling me. Before I knew it my hands were stuck to the ceiling as if they had been glued on, and I could feel every knock rock through me, growing more louder and violent with each hit." She paused, staring at her hands. "...I could feel something tugging on my senses; it felt like it was _draining_ me." She shook her head, tensing her hands. "I-I managed to pull my hands away and fought to get out, but I didn't remember locking myself in. I had to barge through with my shoulder to get out, and it somehow worked." She winced, rubbing her shoulder absentmindedly. "And then I felt it. The spirit. He was above the stairs, _staring_ at me."

"He?"

Mai frowned before shaking her head. "It felt evil, so I guess I just assumed it was a male. It typically is." She shrugged.

Naru nodded, trying his best not to feel offended by her innocent statement as he drew his gaze back towards the bruises decorating her arm. "Ayako can look at your bruises once she arrives."

Mai's face lit up. "Y-You called the team?" She grinned happily, showing a sudden shift in her mood. "Is Yasu coming?"

"No, but he's doing some research for me. I called them earlier. They're on their way, but John and Masako won't be with them. They're busy." He replied, perching beside the couch as he tried to get her back on topic. "Did anything else happen?"

Mai went to shake her head but stopped, peering up at him, suddenly feeling like a lost child. "There's something else..." She muttered in a low tone and bowed her head shamefully, hiding the guilt-ridden feeling swirling deep inside. She felt ashamed for not telling him about it earlier, but now she had the chance to. So she took a deep breath before starting.

"The spirit we just met. I-It wasn't my first encounter with him."

"_Mai-_"

She held up her hand at Naru's interjection, silencing him with a pleading stare. "I-I felt him when I came back inside from the van, just after you had left. Something made me stop before I could pass by the bottom of the stairs, and I could feel something watching me. Staring. I-I felt his breath s-settle on my neck," Mai flinched, rubbing the side of her neck at the memory. "I-It didn't feel right," She shook her head. "It wasn't...natural. Something deep inside me told me to run, so I did. And by the time I had exhausted myself from all the running, I bumped into you. The spirit must have disappeared after that because I couldn't sense it; it was completely gone from my mind." She breathed, slumping back against the arm of the couch onto the cold floor and drawing her knees up to her chest with a defeated sigh.

"Mai, you should have told me earlier." Naru scolded, crossing his arms half-heartedly at the sight of her deflated look. "You're my assistant; it's your job to tell me about anything that's worrying you." He scorned, noticing the pout pursing her lips. His eyes softened ever so slightly before he sighed. "_Mai._"

"Sorry." She gulped, scratching her head sheepishly. "I-I understand. I'll tell you if it happens again." She bowed her head shyly, puffing out her cheeks and missing the prideful smirk on his face. Her tears were gone.

"Good." He nodded, hovering closer. "Since you've agreed to never withhold any information relating to a case, why not _enlighten_ me on the dreams you've been so reluctant to share?" He quirked a brow at Mai's strangled gasp.

"E-Eh?" She spluttered incredibly. In truth, it had never crossed her mind to inform him about the second dream. _Could he read minds now?_ "Y-You know?"

"I always know."

* * *

><p><strong>Posting Date: <strong>24th December 2014

**Symm: **MERRY CHRISTMAS! I'll see you soon, ne?

Thanks for reviewing **Ishval!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt.

* * *

><p><strong>Burnt Desires: Part 8<strong>

**Day 2. 1:20PM.**

Mai fumbled with the ends of her sleeves, stretching the tortured fabric between her shaking fingers like an elastic band while refusing to meet her boss' levelled stare. After an awkward length of silence, Mai had finally given in to her boss' demands and had spent an agonising hour informing him about the first dream she'd had –the one that had started all of this. She had made sure to emphasise about the strange phenomena she'd encountered within the dream; believing to have woken up from the vision, only to find herself still trapped there. It had been a difficult thing to make sense out of, with Mai struggling to determine and separate the two dreams that had been conjoined into one. And as much as her explanation had proved to confuse him _and _herself, Naru had simply stared, keeping the information locked away for the time being until Lin arrived, taking note with his extraordinary memory rather than recording it down on paper.

And although she had been reluctant to at first, Mai didn't struggle with recalling the events of the second dream after realising the consequences of withholding such information, finding herself unable to withstand one of Naru's famous glares.

"And that's pretty much it." Mai concluded, brushing back a loose strand of hair which had fallen beside her cheek during mid-speech. "...Any questions?" She murmured after taking a breath to settle her nerves, waiting for his yelling to commence.

Naru took in her nervous state, watching her fuss over the fabric trapped within her grip while he thought through the silence before finally nodding. "Not for the moment." He replied stoically, running his eyes over her form one last time before standing. "Mai-"

The closed door of the make-shift base opened just in time, unconsciously interrupting the narcissist. Lin stepped in, brushing his gaze over Mai before locking eyes with Naru. "Naru. I apologize for making you wait," He bowed his head humbly. "But there's a reason why-" Lin paused momentarily, feeling an odd sensation emit from the base. He turned to properly face the room, moving away from the door as he felt something off with the set-up, drawing his calculating eyes back to Naru's. "Why hasn't the equipment been set up?"

Naru quirked an inquisitive brow before turning his attention on Mai, thanking the oblivious assistant for reminding him of such a thing. "Ah, yes, about that," He mused, reaching behind Mai to grab the damaged piece of equipment from the couch. "Come here, Mai." He gestured for her to stand.

Mai gulped at his penetrating stare boring holes into her forehead as she chose to sit on the couch instead, skittishly meeting his gaze. From the corner of her eye she saw Lin move back, edging towards the door as her boss' power flared warningly at the pair of them.

But before Mai could join the Chinese assistant she felt her heart lurch as Naru stalked forward, towering over her quaking form and blocking any routes of escape. "_Mai._" He growled lowly, moving even closer until his legs were touching her knees; keeping them in place and efficiently cornering her against the couch. "_Do you know what this is?_" He felt his fury spring back full power from the previous discovery, pointing a _very_ angry finger at the crack in the screen.

"W-What's what?" Mai asked innocently as she avoided looking at his face, struggling not to crumble under his gaze. She drew her frightened eyes towards the minor crack decorating the corner of the monitor before shaking her head, wondering for a moment how it could have gotten there. _That is_, until it all came hurtling back to her. _Oh God. I completely forgot about that..._

"You don't know?" He taunted, leering closer with an evil glint in his cerulean eyes. "Well, why don't I remind you." He gripped her wrist with more force than was necessary, encasing her tiny wrist with his calloused fingers in one quick swipe. "Do you remember when you were carrying a certain box of monitors to the base?" His tone dripped with venom, and Mai could only nod frantically, not trusting herself to speak. "Well, after that I believe something must have made you jump because the next thing I heard was you squeal, followed by a loud _thump_ and then the sound of your running feet. And do you remember what caused such a _loud_ _**thump**__._" He bit down on the word, tightening his hold on her wrist.

Mai winced, not liking where this was heading. "E-Ehhh –A box?"

"_A box filled with what?_" He asked not too kindly.

"...M-Monitors?"

"Yes. _These_ monitors to be exact," He pointed at the box she had carried in, carelessly dropping the damaged monitor into her lap. "Did you think I wouldn't notice and that you could escape without a punishment?"

Lin looked on in shock, watching the wide-eyed assistant shake her head in surprise. Throughout his job as an assistant, Lin had never seen Naru pull off such a menacing look before; he almost pitied Mai for the situation she had gotten herself into. She was always on the other end of Naru's wrath, whether it was her fault or not. And yet the whole team knew that the girl was a magnet for trouble. Lin wanted to intervene and defend the poor girl, but this was something she needed to hear. The equipment was expensive and was hard to ship over from the States, but it couldn't hurt Naru to back down a bit. So the only thing Lin could do for Mai was to sit and pray to the Kamis that Naru would let her off easy.

Mai visibly gulped, dragging in a deep breath through her clenched teeth. "N-Naru –I'm sorry-"

"Each piece of equipment costs a lot of money, Mai. A single monitor is worth ¥26887; money that you have just wasted. A boxful is averagely ¥161,322!" He broke off momentarily, massaging his temples as a pained expression crossed his face. "You don't understa-"

Lin coughed into his hand, purposely cutting the narcissist off and shooting him a look which had him answering with a glare. "Naru." He spoke calmly, nodding at Mai sitting motionlessly on the couch.

Naru cast a tense look over her pale complexion, biting back his earlier remark before releasing a pent up sigh, stepping back from the trapped assistant to give her some breathing room. Mai instantly slumped back against the couch, causing Naru to furrow his brows as a relieved sigh escaped her lips at the given space between them. "..._But_," He strained after receiving a stern look from Lin. "I will forgive you as long as you agree to set up the equipment by yourself." He settled, not finding it that hard to forgive her.

Mai blinked slowly, taking a moment to register his words. "...I have to set up the equipment." She said slowly, pronouncing each word with a steady breath. "All. By. Myself."

Naru nodded.

"Without any help?"

"..."

"Can Lin at least share the punishment?"

"...Mai."

"He did disappear for a while, and it'll take too long to do all by myself-"

"Mai."

"-Plus I'll probably get attacked again-"

"_Mai-_"

"-So do I have to-"

"_MAI!_"

Said assistant flinched, knowing she was pushing her luck. "O-OK, OK. I'll do it." She shook her head miserably, shooting him an apologetic look. "And, again, I'm sorry. For, you know, breaking the equipment. It won't happen again." She promised.

Naru nodded, staring a second longer before saying, "It better not. Now get to work before the rest of the team arrives to an empty base." He sighed, having forgiven her, for now. Sure, he'd overreacted, but Mai had to realise how expensive the equipment cost. They didn't have your average camera to play around with, no. Their type of equipment was much more intellectual than that and it was hard to get your hands on such good quality sets.

And they were lucky she had only broken one.

Mai reluctantly stood, grumbling under her breath about an "idiotic scientist" as she removed the broken monitor from her lap and moved towards the door, receiving a pat on the back on her way out from Lin as he congratulated her for not firing back at their boss. She scoffed. She deserved an award for it, not a pat on the back! Casting an unhappy look at the pair, she shot them both a look before moving on, hoping the rest of the team would arrive already.

Naru waited for the sound of his assistant's retreating footsteps to disappear before releasing a sigh of his own, slouching back into the couch. He could feel an incoming headache.

Sensing his growing agitation, Lin got to work quickly by settling down on one of the five cushioned chairs they'd borrowed previously from the corridor, resting his hands on his knees as he hunched forward, catching Naru's eye. "I need to tell you something important."

Naru leaned forward with a thoughtful look. "Is it about the barrier?" He asked, gaining a nod in return. So he gestured for him to continue, copying his assistants posture with his hands resting in his lap. "Go on."

"I tried accessing the barrier again, but my shiki couldn't even touch it. The fog creating the barrier definitely isn't natural; I sensed something off about it." Lin shook his head, feeling his power wrap protectively around his resting shiki. "I tried to hit it more than once but my shiki recoiled back every time. I could destroy it if I had enough power stored up to attack it, but my shiki have weakened considerable just from touching it! Whatever is protecting the barrier is evil, that's for sure. I fear we might be dealing with more spirits than we had originally thought." He explained. "The fog has approached greatly since we last saw it, and I'm unsure whether Ayako or Takigawa will be able to pass through it."

Naru sighed, rubbing the aching muscles in his neck as the headache finally caught up with him. He sighed, bowing his head tiredly. "Seems we've got our work cut out for us."

* * *

><p>Mai stopped beside the van once she was outside, surprised to find the boot still open and carelessly leaving Naru's so called <em>expensive <em>equipment on display. "And here I was thinking Lin was the responsible one." She mused, reaching upwards to grasp the edge of the door with both hands. "A-At least he left it all out ready for me," She strained on the tips of her shoes before slamming it shut, releasing a sigh. "But it doesn't make it any easier. And I swore it was closed the last time I was out here!" She muttered grumpily and grabbed the last monitor box, finding it much lighter than the first one she had brought in. Believing she could handle more, Mai hoisted the box higher and held it captive with her strongest hand while picking up a bulky plastic tub filled with cables that were supposed to power the whole lot of equipment, juggling the pair in her hands until she got a firm grip on them both.

"OK," She breathed, wavering slightly from the weight before deciding to make a move, strolling casually towards the entrance and up the steps, and proudly entering the house with her load. It didn't take her long to arrive at the base, relieved to find the door open upon entering. She hurried inside, spotting Naru and Lin huddled together in the far corner, whispering to one another and not even batting an eye in her direction as she passed. Mai shook her head, knowing they were talking too in depth to notice her.

She placed the boxes down in front of the couch before moving the broken monitor back into the box, transferring the cables and the newest monitors beside them onto the couch. Mai dusted off her hands, stretched her back into an arch before making another trip back to the van, making sure to pick up the keys to the van on her way out without Naru noticing.

Mai locked the van and grabbed the last bit of equipment; carrying two wide monitor shelves under one arm and holding the tub of microphones and camera stands in the other with _great_ difficulty.

"Mai! Let me help you," Yurei called once Mai was back inside, exiting out of one of the rooms near the front entrance with a mop and bucket. She gladly discarded her items to handle the tub slowly sliding from Mai's grip, sending her a boisterous smile. "Is that better?"

Mai returned the smile, happily carrying the shelves in a more comfortable manner. "Yes. Thanks." She nodded, casting a wary glance at the dimly-lit staircase, not wanting to linger beneath them for much longer. "W-What were you doing?" She asked in an attempt to move the conversation elsewhere, taking a few quick steps down the corridor with Yurei trailing behind.

"Is this about the mop and bucket I was carrying?" The client mused, noticing Mai's sheepish grin. "I knew it." She sighed comically, shaking her head. "I was doing a last-ditch effort at cleaning the two bottom floor bedrooms for you guys. The floors are a little slippery so I wouldn't unpack anything yet." She said. "I gave you two rooms since, well...You're a girl, a-and I thought you'd like to have your own privacy, you know?" She stammered awkwardly.

"A-Ah," Mai blushed at her statement, ridding herself of the creeping image of her sharing a bed with Naru. _No, Mai. Don't even go there._ "T-Thanks."

"No worries!" Yurei replied, stopping outside the base. Mai frowned as the client peeked in, causing a few strands of her silver hair to fall against her face. She pulled back and handed back the box, gingerly brushing them behind her ear with a giggle. "Do you need help setting up?" She inclined her head at the room.

"No, no. You don't have to do that! It's-" Mai paused, suddenly not wanting to tell her about her punishment. "I-It's my job! It's what I get paid for," She kindly declined her. "But since you want to help, would it be alright if you made us some tea? We have two more colleagues on the way to help out and they would definitely appreciate a warm drink after a two hour drive."

"Good job I prepared two rooms!" She chuckled, placing her hand on Mai's shoulder. "I don't mind making tea. Does everyone like green tea?"

Mai shrugged. "If not I'll force it down their throats!" She yelled childishly, pulling off a scowl for effect which made Yurei laugh along with her.

"OK. I'll see what I can do."

* * *

><p><strong>Posting Date: <strong>5th April 2015

**Symm:** Has anyone noticed the new chapter titles, _and _the info about what day and time it is? Well! I took inspiration from some of the other Ghost Hunt stories on here who took the similar style of titles from the Anime. I think it looks more professional since you can tell which case we're currently on and gives a span of how many days it will take place on. (It also hints at there being a new case after this one!) Sorry for the wait!

**Also, ¥**26887 **is around £**150 **in British pounds, and averagely $**225 **in US Dollars.**

Thanks for the review **Ishval, natnatgibbs, NaginiFay!**

Thanks for the follow **Sweet Demons6, Ultimate Game Hunter!**

Thanks for the favourite **Sweet Demons6, Ultimate Game Hunter!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt.

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><p><strong>Burnt Desires: Part 9<strong>

**Day 2. 3:01PM.**

"That fog is a menace!" A shrill voice exclaimed from down the corridor, surprising the young brunette who'd been busy setting up the monitor shelves at base. A deep chuckle followed after the sound of the front door opening and closing, spiking Mai's curiosity as she sought to finish extending the monitor shelf in hand, straining her ears to listen to the loud click-clacks of a pair of shoes resounding off the walls. The owner of the boots stomped their way down the hall, seeming to be heading straight for base.

Naru sighed in the background and Mai couldn't help but smile at his passive display of enthusiasm, swapping a look with Lin who had paused during the middle of his work to listen to the upcoming commotion.

Mai hurriedly set the last shelf in place just as the door to the base slammed open and Ayako burst in, almost knocking Mai back from the force. The priestess stormed past the frozen assistant with clenched fists and a red face, stirring up a storm of angry words and murmurs.

But before Mai could move to assess the situation, she was immediately swept off her feet and encased in a warm embrace, feeling her ribs cave in from the 'loving' pressure of the owner's strong arms. "Jou-chan! I've missed you!"

"B-Bou...-san," Mai awkwardly patted his back, "it's nice to see you too." She said, allowing him a few more seconds before wiggling out of his hold. Monk chuckled but released her anyway, placing her back down and casually slinging an arm around her shoulders.

"How've you been?" He grinned, giving her shoulders a tight squeeze. "Good? Bad?" He asked before she could answer, narrowing eyes slightly as he lowered his voice and asked, "Has Naru been treating you kindly?"

Mai choked on her intake of breath, spluttering incompetent words at his open statement. She shot a wary glance at said narcissist who seemed completely oblivious to the whole conversation. "B-Bou-san! Don't say those things so casually!" She gushed, brushing off his arm.

Monk chuckled, giving her a firm pat on the back. "Someone has to. Anyway, I need to have a chat with our boss over there," he jabbed a thumb at Naru who seemed preoccupied at the moment, flicking through a hard-covered book with focused eyes. "Naru!" He called, pulling the narcissist from his work.

"Takigawa." Naru nodded, resting his gaze on him. "What took you so long."

"Naru!" Mai yelled. "Don't be so rude!" She stepped forward, but Ayako beat her to it.

In the heat of the moment, Ayako stormed up to him with a scowl set in place and poked him right in the chest, causing her purse to swing wildly around her arm from the force. "We're late because of that stupid fog blocking the way!" She shrieked, flailing her arms around her head while Naru raised a curious brow in return. "Get down off your throne Naru and analyse the situation for a change! We're out in the middle of no where, and there's a giant-ass fog surrounding this whole place! So I'm sorry if we took too long to get here, boss, but that fog was too thick for even the astronauts to navigate through!"

"...Bou-san," Mai covered her mouth with her hand, speaking in a hushed tone. "What did you do?" She half-whispered-half-yelled over the priestess' raving as it became background noise to them.

"M-Me!? I didn't do anything!" He shook his head, denying her accusations.

"You must have!" She whispered harshly, huddling behind him out of fear. "She's so angry that she swore!"

"That, Mai-chan, is the epitome of a crazy woman-"

"Monk!" Ayako whacked him over the head with her purse, transferring her anger onto him. "I can hear you!" She raised her purse to commit a second blow.

"E-Eh, A-Ayako! Wait a minute!" Mai threw herself into the fray, raising her hands towards the furious woman in an attempt to block her attack. "If you hit Bou-san anymore he will...he'll die!" She lied exasperatedly, unsuccessfully trying to diffuse the situation.

"THAT'S WHAT I'M AIMING FOR!" She shrieked, giving him a well-aimed hit across the face. Mai covered her eyes, hearing a loud 'thump' as Bou-san collapsed to the floor in surprise.

"OWWW –M-Matsuzaki-san!" Monk whined with tears in his eyes, nursing his stinging cheek as he stood. "You're so violent to me."

Ayako blushed openly, taking his words out of context in a completely different way. "Y-You wouldn't listen if I asked you nicely," she growled half-heartedly, dusting herself down.

Meanwhile, during the whole commotion Naru had moved back to his work, sitting down with a slight pain in his chest from the miko's unexpected prod. His eyes roamed over to Mai, taking in her tense stance while the 'adults' continued to squabble, and sighed. _Why did I ever agree to allow them on the team?_ But enough was enough. "...Are you two finished with your quarrel?" He asked in a dead tone, tapping his fingers idly.

Ayako stopped mid-strike, having almost achieved another hit on the monk until Naru's voice pulled her out of it. "Hmph! You want to chat now, do you?" She raised an arched brow in return.

"We have matters to attend to, and it would be embarrassing for you if the client walked in on your...play fight." He mused, shuffling around the papers on his make-shift desk.

Ayako's face turned sour at Naru's remark, clutching her purse like a lifeline as an embarrassed flush filled her cheeks. "...Go ahead then."

Naru nodded, seeming pleased with the attention. "Let's begin." He turned his attention to Monk who had retreated to sit down on the couch, rubbing his cheek absentmindedly. "Takigawa. Did you notice anything unusual about the fog?"

Monk cleared his throat, "Ahem. Yes, Naru." He scratched his head, feeling the couch dip down beside him as Mai took a seat. "The fog contained a strange presence, something unusual." He paused, trying to make a clearer understanding of it. "...But one thing I'm certain of is that it's not natural. I'm sure I almost saw hints of purple marks moving amongst it," Monk shook his head. "Very strange indeed. It didn't feel right."

"Hm. I thought so." Naru muttered to himself. There's more to this case than I originally thought. "...I sent Lin to analyse it himself, and he brought back the same results." He replied, taking a moment to collect himself. "However, something is different. The mass of this unnatural fog has grown at a rapid pace, much quicker than I had anticipated." He let his gaze drift towards the window, and sighed. "This can only mean one thing, of course-"

"I've brought your tea!" A voice suddenly announced.

All eyes turned towards the figure who had unintentionally interrupted the narcissist at such a crucial moment, carrying a tray full of tea. Yurei wandered in and gave them a smile, placing the tray down in the centre of the table within reaching distance of the team. Her gaze drifted towards Ayako and Housho, the newcomers, and she bowed.

"Hello, I'm Yurei." She introduced herself, deepening her bow. "I-I just wanted to thank you for coming to help with my case." She spoke quickly, not giving them any time to answer. "A-Also, Mai said you were on your way and suggested that I make everyone some tea, so, eh. E-Enjoy." She gave them a hurried bow before retreating out the door in a flurry of silver hair, closing the door on her exit.

"...That was the client." Mai chirped up when nobody spoke a word, leaving an uncomfortable stagnant in the air.

"Miss Hachimitsu can be very temperamental." Naru added, drawing back their attention. "On first meeting, Mai mistook her for a ghost." He said as a matter of fact, causing the brunette to blush.

"Jeez, Jou-chan. People won't believe you're a real ghost hunter if you carry on like this," Bou-san teased, ruffling her hair with his hand.

Mai bit her tongue, sending the monk an irritated look as she slapped his hand away, causing him to laugh. "Hmph." She grumbled sourly, scooting away from him with a huff.

Ayako eyed the pair quietly, watching intently as the mood appeared to darken around Mai as she bowed her head, casting a troubled look at Ayako. Naru shifted around some papers in the background, passing them off to Lin who helped stack and organise them into a pile next to his laptop. "Mai," the miko crossed her arms, settling her gaze on the assistant with a gentle expression. "Why don't you hand out everyone's tea?" She suggested, receiving a thankful nod in return.

Mai reached for the nearest cups, handing them off to Ayako who then passed them on to Naru and Lin, keeping a cup for herself. "Here you go, Bou-san." Mai handed him his cup before grabbing the last one for herself, cupping her hands around the warmth emitting from the ceramic casing of the mug.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mai witnessed the sudden look of disgust splay across Monk's face as he took a sip of his tea before he instantly spat the contents back into the cup, wiping away the few drips of liquid running down his chin. "Uck! I hate green tea!" He gagged, extending the cup away from himself as far as he could.

Mai giggled against the rim of her cup, remembering her previous conversation with Yurei about her serving green tea. "You know, Monk, it would be very unkind of you to not accept the client's hospitality." She teased, taking a sip of her tea. "The least you could do is drink half of it; that way you'll come across as less disrespectful." She grinned, holding back her laugh.

"But Mai-chan-"

A negative feeling carried over from where Ayako was standing, with Monk being on the receiving end of her devil glare. She raised her purse in warning as her eye twitched with menace. Monk's face whitened out of fear of the miko's threatening pose, finding himself vulnerable to her abusive actions. So he quickly took action, chugging down the scorching liquid in three large gulps before slamming the empty cup down on the tray and picking up a deep sweat along the way.

Mai forced back her own, trying not to snicker at the monk's humorous display._ Does he really hate it that much?_ She mused to herself, gulping down the watery liquid at a much slower pace. Her ears perked up at the sound of rustling in the background, and she turned to investigate, spotting Naru fumbling around with a pile of papers.

The narcissist casually made his way over to the group, waiting for Ayako to seat herself before handing out copies of his notes to everyone but Mai. With his tea in hand, Naru leisurely reclined against his desk, gesturing for them to scan through the notes while he sipped his tea.

Mai stared at him in confusion, not understanding why she hadn't been given a copy. "...Naru-"

"You've already heard all the information about the case, Mai." He interrupted sharpish-ly, giving her a glare. "Go finish the equipment."

Mai openly growled out of aggravation, but stood up nonetheless, releasing a deflated sigh as she set her cup down on the tray. "...'Kay." She moved towards the boxes still full with untouched equipment, dragging her feet along the way. Mai had only managed to set up the monitor shelves by the time the rest of the team had arrived, resulting in her being drawn away from her work. _It's more punishment than work._ She scoffed to herself, brushing back her hair before she got to work.

She started off with unpacking the monitors, making sure they were set firmly in place while listening intently to Naru's monologue in the background as he brought the team up-to-date.

"The papers in your hands are all the notes I collected from the dreams Mai had which were related to the case..." He began, delving deep into a detailed explanation while the team listened intently, scanning the papers in their possession. "-And as I mentioned earlier, the growing strength of the fog can only mean one thing, of course: it's using an anchor."

Mai paused mid-step, holding a tower of empty boxes in hand. An anchor? She questioned mindlessly, zoning in on Naru's explanation.

"The unnatural qualities of the fog match the traits of a spiritual anchor. But there are two types of anchors: the first is a Possession anchor, which is when a spirit stays connected to this world through a past possession that can be channelled typically through great emotions; however these tend to hold negative qualities. But we are dealing with the second type, known as a Void anchor. This anchor is more dangerous than the first and is harder to dispatch. The anchor here is not an object, but a living vessel. It is not able to possess a living being; instead, it draws the being's power to keep itself sustained and anchored to this world."

"...So it's drawing power from the client?" Ayako suggested lowly.

Naru shook his head. "Not necessarily. The power can be drawn from either a living or spiritual anchor. With the possibility of there being spirits inhabiting this house, the anchor could be one from the other world." He paused to take a sip of his tea. "...And from Lin's investigation, it appears that the spirit can also draw power from us."

"W-What!?" Monk choked, making Mai jump from the velocity of his shout. "It can use us?"

"It appears so." Lin answered, closing the lid of his laptop with a quiet 'thump'. "I tried attacking the fog with my shiki but whatever is controlling it can also use it as a siphon, and it even managed to drain some of their power. Concluding this event, Naru and I believe that the spirit can draw power from any living or spiritual being it touches."

"...This is serious then." Mai heard Ayako say as she broke from her trance, returning to stacking the empty boxes in hand against the wall. She moved towards the box filled with chords and began unravelling the coils of cables, letting their words sink in.

Naru nodded silently, placing down his tea. "Mai has already encountered the spirit-"

"What? We missed it?" Monk whined, receiving a well-earned whack over the head from Ayako's purse.

Mai shot him a glare. "It was a visual interaction, but I sensed him right before he decided to breath on my neck." She shivered, scratching the violated area with a frown.

"In any case, it would be dangerous for Mai to go anywhere alone." Naru continued, ignoring the monk's loud cursing in the back. "We'll have to proceed with caution from now on until the case is solved."

"So what should we do now, boss?" Bou-san asked.

"Our first priority is protection, so Ayako," Naru said, "I need you to get started on protection charms for the client and the rest of the team. These should stop the spirit from drawing any power from us." He explained, straightening his jacket with a swift downwards tug. "The client is top priority, with Takigawa and Mai being second due to them being primary targets for these sorts of things. Lin and I will set up a barrier around base for caution, and Monk and Mai, you are in charge of setting up the cameras and microphones around the first floor once Mai has finished setting up in here. But do not go up to the second floor." He warned, giving Mai a look.

"Yes, sir!" Takigawa fake-saluted, urging Mai to hurry up with a quick hand motion behind his back.

"And Monk," Naru drew back his focus. "If the spirit latches on to either of you while you're without the charms, things could get serious."

* * *

><p><strong>Day 2. 4:42PM.<strong>

Mai happily dusted off her hands, packing away the last batch of equipment boxes. _Punishment, over!_ She quietly cheered to herself, fist-pumping the air in relief. Yurei had come in during the first part of the hour to let them know that their rooms were ready for them, once again leaving in a hurry to start preparing the evening dinner. Naru and Lin had been busy focusing on setting up a barrier around the base while Ayako was off collecting resources from around the house to get started on the protection charms.

"Mai-chan, are you ready?" Monk asked with a yawn, having taken a nap during the whole thing.

"Yes." She nodded, retrieving the microphone sets from beside the couch. "Can you carry the rest?" She waved at the other sets.

Monk shrugged. "Guess so." He strolled over and grabbed the camera stands, slinging them over his shoulder as he reached for the tray of cameras sitting delicately at his feet. "Alright, let's get going." He grinned, nudging her forward with his elbow.

Mai stumbled for a brief moment, but soon regained her balance in time to shoot him a weak glare before moving on. Monk grinned and slowly trailed behind, sending Naru a loud farewell before kicking the door shut behind them.

The two of them started off by the main entrance, gradually working their way down the main corridor with cameras set in places where the most activity had come from according to the client. They made sure to place one at the bottom of the stairs, but didn't dare to venture any further up them. As they arrived back at base, Mai suggested for Bou-san to set up a camera facing away from them, focusing on the end of the corridor leading towards the entrance of the house. She connected a microphone to the back, making sure everything was balanced before ushering herself and Monk into base.

"Naru, we're done!" Mai informed him, setting down the spare equipment beside the door. Naru cast a brief glance out the window, narrowed his eyes, and focused his gaze on Mai. She shivered. "W-What?"

"Mai, I need you to set up a camera outside-"

"Whoa, wait a minute Naru!" Monk interjected, pulling Mai protectively behind him. "I thought you said the fog was dangerous!" He yelled.

Naru sighed. "...It is, which is why we need a camera focused on it for precaution. You can go with her, Takigawa, but be prompt about it. And_ don't_ wander off, Mai."

Bou-san scowled at the narcissist. "Why can't Lin go?"

"Lin is working on the barrier. It should be done by the time you're back, so go now." Naru bit back coldly.

Mai placed a hand on Monk's arm. "Come on then, Bou-san. Let's get it over with," she groaned, retrieving the spare equipment from beside the door. Takigawa stayed for second longer, his form tense and stiff. "Monk." Mai called, tugging on his sleeve. "_Bou-san_. Come on, we can find Ayako on the way back." She tried to pull him towards her.

"...Alright, then." He gave in after a brief pause, catching the assistant by the wrist and dragging her out the room.

"Mai!" Lin's called, causing them to halt.

"Y-Yes?" She side-stepped around Monk, becoming irritated with his protective stance.

"Whatever you do, don't touch the fog. We don't have any records on it's after-effects if you do."

"...And what if I did?" She countered cautiously, blocking out Naru's warning glare as he moved to stand.

Lin ignored him. "It will sap your power, which is something we can't afford to happen. We still don't have a clear understanding of your power Mai, so it'll be costly for you and us if it does. Just, please, be careful." He furrowed his brows, shooting a worried look at Monk who tugged her back, guiding her down the corridor.

"I will." She smiled, giving him a wave before giving in to Monk's guidance, leaving Lin and Naru no other choice but to wait for them to come back.

* * *

><p><strong>Posting Date: <strong>31st May 2015

**Symm: **Hello! How's everyone been? I apologise for the wait. The whole 'Anchor' theory is something I completely made up. However, the first theory (Possession anchors) might actually be true. I think they use this theory of a spirit inhabiting an object in some horror films –I swear I've heard of it before. And I think this might be the longest chapter I've written so far, so I hope you enjoyed and will stick around for the next instalment. Review if you wish, no pressure! :D

Thanks for the favourite **BlueFireMoon, QueenofHearts7378, Akuma no Esu, Curlyfr13s, XVongolaFamigliaX, Anime-Books-Tv123, Alice-okaami!**

Thanks for following **BlueFireMoon, Meresdreams, QueenofHearts7378, Curlyfr13s, XVongolaFamigliaX, Anime-Books-Tv123, ddurga74, Socat14, Naruisawesome, halfdemonfan, wingfright, Izumi. Takahashi-279, ShannonEsmerelda1!**

Thanks for the review **Naruisawesome, Socat14, halfdemonfan, RosetheWolfgirl, 909kk, ****Guest!: _Hello, I'm glad you found that part funny. XD_**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt.

* * *

><p><strong>Burnt Desires: Part 10<strong>

Monk's grip hadn't let up one bit since their departure, leaving Mai to contemplate whether or not his unforgiving hold would leave finger marks on her wrist. But she wasn't upset with him, not one bit. Who wouldn't get angry with Naru's blatant personality? Lin was the only person she knew who _could_ handle his brittle attitude.

...As well as Madoka, that is.

The assistant sighed and stared at Monk's back, wondering what sort of expression his face was potraying. She had no doubt that his eyebrows would be scrunched together, forming angry wrinkle lines that would surely become permanent if he kept it up for much longer.

"I can't believe he wanted to send you out by yourself." Takigawa spoke the words with a grating tone, biting down on each syllable. "What was the whole point in having that big safety talk about 'not going out alone' when he was just about to send you off without any protection!" He exclaimed in a fit of anger. "It's guaranteed that we'll be targeted by a spirit, regardless of the origin of the case; there's no doubt about it. But the least he could have done was make sure that you weren't out on your own!"

Mai resisted the urge to flinch. "Bou-san...You know how Naru gets when we start a new case. He was probably just too immersed in his work to realise what he said," she suggested quietly. "And I know how practically impossible it is to _not _react to his attitute, I mean, when has he ever thanked any of us for helping him solve a case?" Mai said as she frowned. _Well, except for me of course._ "...But I'm sure he didn't mean to send me out on purpose, Bou-san-" She broke off temporarily, pausing at a new thought. "Huh. Maybe it also shows how he's the only one who _does_ believe that I'm capable of protecting myself if something happens." She mumbled teasingly, adding quietly to herself, "The rest of you treat me as if I'm defenseless as it is."

Monk gently squeezed her wrist. "Not all of us, Mai. Didn't Ayako and I teach you some defensive techniques a few months back?" He reasoned, pulling her to a halt.

"Yes, but that was only because the case we were on was dangerous not just for me, but for everyone."

"No, we taught you those chants because you have become an increasing target for the spirits," he released her wrist to ruffle her hair. "And anyway, I'm not that upset with Naru. I just need some time to cool off before we go back." He moved to grab the box of spare equipment from her clasp but Mai batted his hand away.

"Stop." She huffed, purposely stalking ahead to escape the monk. "This just proves it." She deliberately picked up her pace. "You trying to take the box away from me suggests how weak and powerless you think I am since you obviously don't believe I can handle it myself!" She blurted, stomping her foot childishly.

Monk chased after her, easily matching her pace as he huffed out a reply, "I don't mean anything by it! I just thought I would try to help, Mai. You carried most of the equipment earlier and I thought you could use a break." He explained, recieving no response from the ticked off assistant. "_Mai._" He stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, forcing her to comply.

Mai's shoulders tensed at his touch, and she begrudgingly shot him a look. However she frowned at the sight of his serious expression, causing her own to soften as she sighed, releasing the tension in her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Bou-san. I just...I'm feeling a little frustrated with everything. Naru hasn't clued us in much with the case and everyone seems a bit off because of this. I know he's busy trying very hard to solve it, but that's all he ever does."

"That's just how Naru is." Monk patted her head, watching as her lips pulled up into a pout.

"But it bugs the hell out of me Monk. And to add to it, we don't even know how much power the spirit has, let alone how it's produced that power-sucking fog we're about to see!" She yelled. "We're not even sure how many spirits there really are in this house!"

Monk wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug, only to suddenly jerk back as the corner of the box jabbed him in the ribs. "Ouch!" He yelped, staring down at the object obstructing his way.

Mai giggled and loosened her grip on the box. "Sorry," she smiled smugly, nudging him into a walk. The monk decided he would finish his hug once the box was gone so silently obliged with the assistant's prod as she followed alongside him. They travelled silently on towards their destination, giving Mai some time to think as she raised her head in thought, looking up at the ceiling with a blank stare. "...Maybe we can ask Naru to contact Yasu for some research on this place," she broke the silence as they turned around the corridor, skirting past the stairs leading towards the first floor which was still off-limits.

"Might as well. The more information we get, the better standing we'll have with wrapping up the case." Monk agreed just as they arrived at the front entrance of the house. Mai halted behind him and they swapped a look, with Mai urging him to open the door.

"Chicken," Monk teased, dodging her well-aimed kick at his shin with a quick sidestep. Ignoring her playful glare, Takigawa opened the door with an effortless tug and left it to swing open, giving Mai enough room to move around him and step outside. "Well, let's get the camera and microphone set-"

Mai's startled gasp stopped the monk mid-sentance as he shot into action, assuming she had seen a ghost.

"What's wrong!?" He tensed beside her, readying his hands to perform a chant in case of an attack.

"Look at the fog, Bou-san. It's worse than I thought," she mumbled, unintentionally backing into him. Her wide hazel eyes scanned the spiritual fog with a sense of awe at the scale of it, appearing like a bleak white blanket that appeared to stretch on for miles. Her gaze flickered to the unnatural purple essence weaving amongst the mist, but before she could point it out to the monk it disappeared. _Weird._

"Ah, dammit!" Monk cursed at the closeness of the fog. It had moved much further in and was now settled against the border of the house, giving himself and Mai a narrow length of space to set up in. "Listen Mai, we'll set this up as quick as we can before anything happens." He ordered, taking the box from her as he unloaded the cargo with fast-working hands.

Mai crouched down to help and carefully grabbed the camera while Monk extended the camera stand, positioning it metres away from the fog's shifting grasp. She handed him the microphone and leads, having finished prepping the camera. Her hands began to tremble as she edged towards the stand, not liking how close she was to the mist as Lin's words rang through her mind, recalling his warning, _'Don't touch the fog. It will sap your power.'_

Just one wrong move and it could all be over.

The assistant shook off the feeling of being watched and drew her attention back to the camera in hand, working her nimble fingers at a fast pace under the tense vibes emitting from Monk's worry.

The wrinkle lines were back again.

Feeling her eyes on him, Takigawa forced his facial features into a neutral expression as he reached over to pat her head, gesturing for her to scoot over so that he could finish up with the cables. Mai stepped back and came into contact with the empty box, pausing mid-step at the sound of something skidding across the turf. She whirled around, dumbfounded with how far the box had slid from her accidental kick.

Mai frowned. _Any further and it would have ended up in the fog,_ she thought to herself, moving to retrieve the box. "Lucky escape!" She told it and picked it up by the handles, facing away from the fog.

Monk cleared his throat as he finished fitting in the last wire of the microphone before dusting off his hands. "Come on Mai, we're done." He announced with a click of his tongue.

"Righ-" Mai moved to rejoin him but her feet stayed rooted in place. _Huh. _She stared down at her worn sneakers with a confused frown, trying to move her feet into action; but they wouldn't budge. The assistant opened her mouth to say something however an intense ball of fear suddenly surfaced from the depths of her stomach, knotting her nerves as she shivered. Thinking her legs had somehow fallen asleep, Mai exhaled a cloud of white air to cool her nerves, only to sharply draw it back in at the sight of it. _I can see my breath! _Her whole body twisted in panic at the thought.

The temperature had dropped. "B-Bou-sa-" A wet breath hovered over her neck at her desperate cry, but it was enough to make the monk turn around. Fear overwhelmed her. "_MONK!_" She screamed just before a white hand emerged from the mist and yanked her back by the tips of her hair, causing the equipment box to fly from her hands right before his eyes.

She was gone in a flash.

Monk broke out from his shock and instantly shot after her, calling out her name. "Mai! MAI, _answer me!_" He vanished into the mist.

Mai fought against the grip of the invisible kidnapper, flailing her arms wildly as the spirit painfully dragged her further in. Her head hurt. She winced at the numbing sensation that covered her body, and she suddenly felt lightheaded. _I need to break free! _She panicked.

Mai brought her arms up and hurriedly positioned her fingers, throwing out a weak attempt of the Nine Cuts. "R-Rin! Pyou! Tou! S-Sha-!" Her head lurched back from another harsh tug, feeling her hair burn at the roots as a pained cry escaped her mouth. It was impossible to fight the spirit like this.

Her vision began to blur at the feeling of something latching onto her arms, as if it was withdrawing her energy like a leech. "No!" The fog swirled around her, being drawn to her power like a moth to a flame.

_'We still don't have a clear understanding of your power Mai.'_

Her mind whirled with a nausiating spin. _It's taking my power! _She cried internally, feeling something strange course through her veins. A tingling sensation suddenly started in her toes and shot up her body like a fireball, heading straight for her fingers.

_I want to be stronger._

"RIN PYOU TOU SHA KAI JIN RETSU ZAI _ZEN!_" She yelled with all her might, throwing the ghostly hand back momentarily. "_DISPERSE!" _A short wisp of yellow light released from her hands like a ray of light, blinding her hazel eyes with a fierce blast before vanishing as quickly as it had came into a handful of dying sparks. She blinked, dazed.

_What just happened?_

A distant shout rang in her ears, followed by a chant; but she couldn't tell which direction it had come from. Her entire body felt like it was on fire as she stood there, feeling paralyzed from the sudden commotion.

"-BAZARADANKAN!"

Mai vaguely witnessed the smoke disperse from around her, weakly lifting her head as her eyes clashed with Monk's relieved stare. _Had he repelled the spirits? _He hurried over to her in a flight of panic and gripped her arm; but she couldn't feel it. Her body felt heavy. "..._Hurts._" She mumbled tiredly.

Monk shushed her with a quick tug on her arm, causing Mai to lurch forward and almost collide with his back. "It's alright, Mai." He tightened his grip, finding himself unable to keep the worry from his face. "But we need to go. Now." He pulled her forward, breaking out into a run and heading straight out of the mist in no time.

Mai roughly caught sight of the forgotten equipment box as they escaped inside, briefly wondering if Naru would be angry about them leaving it. But she didn't dwell on it. Monk looked back to lock the door in mid-run, only to notice the fierce paleness of Mai's face. She looked like she could faint any minute.

Mai gasped, stumbling over her own feet as Bou-san suddenly jerked her forward with a newfound speed, forcably dragging her along while she struggled to match his pace, panting for breath. And they didn't stop until they were halfway down the corridor, appearing exhausted as they leant breathlessly against the wall.

Blackspot filled her vision and Mai couldn't stop her trembling knees from collapsing beneath her as she slumped to the floor.

"Mai!" Bou-san knelt beside her. "What's wrong? Do you not feel well?"

Takigawa winced at the stupidity of his question, knowing fully-well that the spirit had probably tried to drain her power. It had tried it on him too, after he had stupidly jumped into the mist to save her, not thinking about the dangers until he was already in its grasp.

Naru was going to flip.

Mai mumbled something too quiet for him to hear before her head lolled to the side and she passed out.

"Dammit." He cursed, carefully cupping her cheeks to check if she was still breathing, and relaxing at the sound of her steady heartbeat. He carefully moved her to a more comfortable resting position against the wall.

"What happened."

Monk hadn't heard her footsteps in his midst of panic. "Ayako. Can you check her over? She passed out." He said, scrunching his eyebrows together.

Ayako sighed, sending him a look that matched her previous dead tone. "What did you do?" She scrutinised, placing a hand against the unconsious assistant's forehead. "She feels a little hot, but it doesn't seem like anything serious." She paused. "As of yet."

"At least we can rule out a fever."

"Hm," she nodded slowly, removing her hand. "So what happened?" She repeated.

Monk slipped his hands around Mai and gently lifted her up, keeping a firm grip around her legs and back as he stood. "I would tell you, Ayako, but it seems like it's something that I should say in front of everyone." He winced. "...Did you finish the charms?"

"Yes." She patted her pocket. "All done, but I completely ruined my new manicure," she grumbled, checking her nails. "Naru owes me."

Monk rolled his eyes. "Come on, we'll head back to base."

* * *

><p><strong>Day 2. 5:04PM.<strong>

Naru put down his pen and leaned back in his chair, rolling up his sleeve to check his watch. 5:04PM. _They're late. _Noll closed his eyes, massaging his incoming headache at the thought.

"Naru?" Lin called, slipping off his headphones.

"What."

"Camera 12 is up and live." He reported, checking the others screens out of habit. "Mai and Takigawa should be on their way back already." Lin said while he pressed a few keys on the control panel, catching Naru's nod as he typed.

"They've taken long enough," scowled the narcissist as he stood from his chair to check the screens himself.

"...I'm worried about Mai."

"Aren't you always?" Naru sighed, scanning the monitors for any interferance. "Everything seems fine. If something did happen it would show up on the screen-"

"We're back!" The base door swung open and the pair turned to face the monk who appeared shockingly paler than usual, pausing at the sight of the unconscious assistant cradled in his arms.

"What happened?" Naru asked straight off the bat as Takigawa settled Mai down on the couch before plonking himself down next to her.

"Yes, I'd like to know as well," Ayako seated herself beside him, casting a wary glance at Mai as she settled.

"Yes, yes, Mai's fine Naru; thanks for asking." Monk's tone dripped with sarcasm. Naru didn't seem to find it funny. Monk gulped and clasped his hands together, keeping his gaze trained on the ground as he tiredly recalled the event. "When Mai and I arrived outside we were surprised at how close the fog had gotten, with it giving us a small margin of space to set up in-"

"How much has it moved since you last saw it?" Naru interrupted.

Monk scratched his head. "It's at the border of the house; I wouldn't be surprised if it has already surrounded the whole place." He shrugged. "I thought things would get dangerous if we stayed for too long so we quickly set up. Mai somehow got too close to the fog while my back was turned, and the next thing I heard was her shouting my name before I saw her get dragged into the mist. All thoughts aside, I jumped in after her but I couldn't see a damn thing! But Lin," he turned to face the omnyouji. "You were right about the fog. As soon as I touched it I instantly felt my power being drawn away. I think that's why Mai fainted; she was in there much longer than me."

"Hm, this is serious then." Lin acknoledged, hardening his gaze. "I believe we should stay clear of the mist until we've found the culprit behind it."

"What did it feel like?" Ayako asked out of mild curiousity, rubbing her arm tensely.

"Like there were a bunch of leeches stuck on me. It wasn't nice. It weakened me straight away." He replied, shivering at the thought.

"Carry on." Naru sighed.

"Right. The fog completely blinded me so I didn't know which direction Mai had disappeared in. But the odd thing that happened next was...surprising." He frowned, switching his gaze to Mai. "...A bright yellow flash shot up out of no where and cleared part of the mist. My first thought was that the spirit had somehow cleansed itself, leaving behind the golden afterglow produced after passing. But the light led me straight to Mai, and there was no spirit in sight." He paused, repicturing the scene in his head. "I'm still not exactly sure what it was, but by the time I got to Mai she was dead on her feet; I couldn't get a clear sentance from her." He patted her knee. "She was even paler than she looks now."

"A bright yellow flash?" Naru repeated, holding a dark essence to his indigo eyes. "And you said it came from where Mai was standing?" He met Bou-san's gaze.

"Yeah. It might have shown up on the camera; it was on when it happened."

Naru pulled out a chair from beneath the desk and quickly pulled up the last 20 minutes of recordings from camera 12, stopping it at the appearance of Mai and Takigawa. Lin unplugged his headphones and channelled the sound to the speakers for everyone to hear.

"Here we go," he hit play.

_"Come on Mai, we're done."_

Bou-san's voice emitted through the room as they all watched in silence.

_"Righ-"_

Naru zoned in on Mai as she suddenly froze, appearing to be trembling as the fog creeped forward.

"Look." He pointed at the screen, drawing everyone's attention to the assistant as a look of shock crossed her face.

"Naru, the temperature dropped by 2 degrees." Lin informed him.

_"MONK!"_

A white hand suddenly appeared from the mist and pulled her in, shortly followed by Monk's calling as he shot after her on the tape.

"There was definitely a spirit." Naru said aloud, forwarding the recording before stopping and rewinding it slightly.

All eyes focused on the short appearance of a powerful wisp of energy as it shot out from the fog, having been captured by the camera. Mouths dropped and eyes bulged at the display of yellow power, completely blanking out Monk's and Mai's escaping forms as they shot past the camera.

Naru cut off the feed.

"Was that..._ki?_"

* * *

><p><strong>Posting Date: <strong>6th July 2015

**Symm: **It's practically been two months since the last update...Oops? But thanks for all the reviews, follows and favourites everyone, as well as a big thank you to all you silent readers out there too. (Don't worry, I'm just the same when reading other Fanfictions. I always end up repeating the same thing when I review so I usually give up and just silently read the updates instead ^0^) It's much easier. I feel like I've been dragging out the story since in other Case Files, the case only lasts for typically 5 parts; whereas we're currently on part 10. I'm trying to type up longer chapters but it seems to take me a whole month just to do so. My minds been on other story ideas lately so that's why I'm late with the update. Anyway, thanks for reading!

Thanks for the follow **bekahguertin, Librajem, Rissa-RaNee, SaveMeFromFanFics, dragongarcia, OneNightOneDream, patrickstar1999, Truth Behind The Eyes, Sesshy's Rose, CallMeQuackerz, aoiharumiyu, SupernaturalGirl51799, Lee Anna Kindred, daughterXofXdarkness, Greysgirl98, Ajhtrumpet, Elizabethcica, larajla!**

Thanks for the favourite **bekahguertin, Akuma no Esu, ElizabethMarieBennett, Librajem, CallMeQuakerz, aoiharumiyu, SupernaturalGirl51799, daughterXofXdarkness, Greysgirl98, Ajhtrumpet!**

Thanks for reviewing **CallMeQuackerz, SupernaturalGirl51799!**

Thanks for reviewing **Guest: **Thanks, I'm glad you're anticipating the next instalment ;)

Thanks for reviewing **909kk (Guest): **Thank you, I'm trying my best!

Thanks for reviewing **kiera (Guest): **Wow, it's awesome that you AND your friend are both enjoying it, so thanks! Yeah, I thought it helped pass the time along quicker by writing down the day and time, just like the anime. Thank you very much, it's much appreciated!


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Ghost Hunt.

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><p><strong>Burnt Desires: Part 11<strong>

Silence fell over the group as their attention lingered fixatedly on the black screen of the monitor; hearing the faint sound of Mai's breathing in the background. Everyone stood frozen, shocked beyond belief with what they had just witnessed.

Ayako was the first to break from their trance.

"_Qi_..?" She frowned. "Why would there be a display of _qi _over here? Isn't it an ability only the Chinese can produce?" She asked, perplexed, throwing a quick glance in Lin's direction.

"...I think he meant the Japanese equivalent, _ki._" Monk butted in. "I read before that _qi _originally came from the Chinese cultures, and was converted to _ki _over here in Japan. A lot of the Western cultures take after the Japanese dubbing of the technique and some can even produce it, but the Chinese are more knowledgeable on the subject," he gave a quick overview, focusing his gaze on the Chinese assistant, "right Lin?"

"Yes." He bobbed his head into a quick nod, quietly standing from his seat. "The ancient Chinese described it as a 'life force' and believed it permeated everything, linking their surroundings together to create a single flow of energy. They were able to connect the energies streaming around and through their bodies into one cohesive unit, believing they could use it as a healing technique. However, only a select few were able to unify the complete mass of their _qi_ and were able to use the energy for defense rather than healing." He breathed, pausing in thought. "Only a powerful medium is able to produce such a blast of power...especially the one we just witnessed."

All eyes suddenly turned to Monk.

"W-Whoa, wait a minute!" He yelled. "I don't know how to use Chinese techniques, I'm just a monk!" He waved his hands wildly in front of him, hunching his shoulders defensively. "You can't think-"

"Then the only other person capable of such a thing is Mai." Naru cut in, transferring his gaze to the girl lying on the couch.

"Y-You can't expect Mai to have produced something like that!" Ayako gasped. "She's Japanese!" She shouted out of shock. "How could she possibly know?"

Lin raised his hand, silencing their confusion-based remarks as he followed Naru's gaze to Mai. "I believe Naru means something else," he spoke slowly, drawing out the words before ending them with a sigh. "Even though the technique is originally from China, the Japanese also found a way of creating a similar sense of power. The _ki _they've created can be accessed through meditation; as long as the individual portrays a calm mindful state, they are able to pull the energy from any part of their body, just like the Chinese."

"But how does any of this prove that Mai was the one to release that power wave?" Ayako asked, chewing her bottom lip. "She can't possibly be holding onto such a power...It's impossible." She looked at Naru for any sign of confirmation. "And she doesn't even meditate."

He smirked. "It wouldn't be so surprising, Matsuzaki. Mai has already proven her capability of using latent ESP, so it wouldn't faze me if she was the one responsible," he crossed his arms, hardening his stare. "And there only seems to be two possible outcomes. It either came from Takigawa or Mai, but Takigawa has already admitted that it wasn't him, meaning, it must have come from Mai."

The group fell into another bout of silence, once again focusing their gazes on the unconscious assistant out of disbelief. Ayako couldn't believe what she was hearing; for Mai to be able to access her _ki_? It was unbelievable!

...To an extent.

But that was how Mai woke, feeling the pricks of four sets of eyes staring at her as she groggily rubbed her eyes, fighting against a yawn. "...Is there something on my face?" She frowned, meeting Ayako's desperate yet confused stare with a blurred vision. Mai moved into a better position, settling herself with her legs tucked against her chest. She raised her brow. "What happened?" _Has there been another attack?_

Monk scratched the back of head and looked at the girl in amazement. "Wow Mai, I didn't know you were so talented." He blurted, feeling Naru's glare bite into the back of his neck.

The assistant blinked. "...Eh?"

"You produced that blast of _ki_, didn't you?" His smile dipped into an uncertain frown at her blank expression. "You know, that yellow light..?"

Mai pursed her lips, feeling a dull throb as she thought back. "Urrmh, eto...Ah!" She gasped. "Was that what it was? _Ki_..? But I...I thought that came from you, Bou-san."

Ayako slapped her forehead, making them all jump. "She must have done it unconsciously."

"Huh? Did what?" Mai questioned, becoming more confused as the conversation went on. "What's going on?"

"You produced a blast of _ki_, Mai."

There was a stagnant pause, shortly followed by; "M-Me!? I did that?" She squeaked. _How is that possible!? I can't even control where my dreams take me! _Mai shouted out mentally. She just couldn't picture it.

Naru sighed deliberately, drawing it out with an irritable twitch as he perched himself against Lin's vacant chair. "Mai, do you remember what happened to you before you released the yellow light? Did you feel different somehow?"

"Hm...Now that I think about it, I did feel an odd sensation in my feet; it moved towards my hands and made them all tingle-y." She recalled quietly, placing a finger to her lips.

"That was your body's _ki _being drawn from one area of your body to another and collecting into your hands, as if to form the shape of a ball, before you released it." Lin began to explain, only to stop upon the sight of her confused expression. His brows knitted into an annoyed frown as she released an awkward giggle in return.

"E-Eheh...Could you explain, please?"

The assistant sighed. "_Ki _is the name of the energy every being holds in their bodies; some can access it while others haven't even heard of it. The power that you draw from _ki _can be used as a weapon against humans _and _spirits. In your case Mai, you somehow drew your body's energy from the lower half of your body and pulled it up to the top half to store it into your hands. The yellow barrier that cleared away parts of the mist came from you and initially saved you." Lin elaborated, only to be interrupted by Naru.

"It could have been Gene; he was the one who initially unlocked her power in the first place. As he is your guide, I'm sure this was also his doing." His voice was confident to say the least.

"Ah, no..." Mai's expression darkened. "I haven't seen Gene since we started this case." She admitted drearily, feeling her muscles ache all over. Whatever had provoked her power in the mist had caused the yellow energy to burst from her fingertips and had also, unintentionally, drained her dry, leaving a dull pain in its place.

It almost felt like she had been hit by a truck.

Naru peered down at her through icy indigo eyes. "What do you mean, Mai. Without Gene's influence...Are you implying you accomplished all this by yourself?" His tone turned bitter as the velocity of his voice rose with each word. "_This is serious Mai_."

Said assistant winced. _That was a low blow, _she thought miserably, resting her head against her knees. It wasn't her fault Gene hadn't appeared, it wasn't as if there was a GPS chip attached to him. He comes and goes as he pleases, but how could Naru say that to her? Did this mean he'd been relying on Gene's power all this time, simply using her as a speaker between the two worlds? Was she just an empty vessel..?

"Naru-" Monk warned.

"If Gene hasn't been guiding you since the last case, then does that mean he's finally passed on?" Naru continued, however his tone had lightened somewhere along the way as a look of content briefly flashed across his eyes.

However Mai highly doubted that had happened. He wouldn't leave without saying a word...but she couldn't be certain. She didn't truly know him, only as a spirit.

"Then did Mai do all this by herself?" Ayako suggested. "W-Without any help?"

_Wow, thanks for the support Ayako._ Mai scowled beneath her hair. "It's not that hard to imagine."

"Do you know _how _you summoned your _ki_ Mai?" Lin moved closer to her, crouching in front of her so that they were eye-level. "It would help a great deal if we could find a starting point to all of this."

"But I don't know how I did it." She mumbled into the fabric of her jeans, keeping her voice low and incoherent. "All I thought was _'I want to be stronger'_ and then bam! Out shoots the yellow light."

"_I want to be stronger_," Monk repeated, thinking it over.

"Perhaps her body acted subconsciously..." Ayako suggested, tapping her finger against her leg pensively.

Monk's eyes widened. "Like in defense?"

Mai drew in a deep breath at Monk's words, agreeing with his statement. "I think you're right Bou-san. The light protected me from the spirit and acted like a shield in some sense!"

"A shield of power which connects to your emotions..." Lin added silently.

Mai whipped her head around towards him, meeting his narrowed gaze. "What do my emotions have to do with this?"

Naru released a frustrated sigh, tiredly rubbing the skin between his eyes. "Think about it Mai. While being attacked, you mentioned how you thought about wanting to be stronger in a way to fend off the spirit. Ironically, the essence of you powers reacted to this powerful feeling and rose up to protect you." He explained, uncrossing his arms to let them dangle by his sides. "In my opinion, you were in a dangerous situation at the time which is why I believe your powers will resurface independently whenever you're in a life-threatening position."

Mai's jaw dropped. _Does that mean he believes me? That it wasn't Gene?_ Her heart soared at the thought. _Thank God!_

"Well at least we know it won't be hard to witness her powers in person, Mai gets into trouble at least one time on every case." Ayako said as she fanned her face, mumbling about the growing temperature of the room.

"Ayako-!"

"Haha, that's true!" Monk ruffled her hair as he chuckled. "Jou-chan's a magnet for spirits!" He boasted.

Mai puffed out her cheeks as she rested her gaze on the Monk and glared. However something caught her eye and caused her to lean forward to inspect, almost falling into Lin's lap in the process. With a slight blush Mai pulled back, dodging Lin's expressionless gaze. "Bou-san, you look a little pale." She said with a creased brow, concerned with the monk's white complexion. "Do you not feel well?"

Takigawa rubbed his neck. "I don't look _that _bad, do I?" He joked but was abruptly shot down by Ayako's stare.

"I could mistake you for a ghost, so sit down next to Mai before you collapse." She growled before shoving him onto the couch.

"Woah!" Monk's solid form barely missed Mai's body as he landed beside her, mumbling an apology for almost knocking her out.

"Now rest," she said in a firm but motherly way. "You too Mai."

The assistant nodded, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Yes ma'am!"

"You didn't have to push me," Monk groaned, moving into an easier sitting position beside the assistant. "I'm a sick man!" He swooned playfully.

Mai giggled as Ayako wacked him over the head. "You're tired not sick; you just had a bit of energy sucked out of you by a greedy ghost," she 'hmphed'.

"At least we can narrow down the side-effects of when coming into contact with the ghost." Lin announced and Naru nodded in agreement.

"Paleness of the face, body pains, weakness symptoms; they can all be expected from an energy absorption." The narcissist pulled out a notepad from his pocket and wrote them down, scrawling them in black ink.

"And a lack of consciousness of the victim should be added." Monk proposed smugly.

Naru shook his head at Mai's scowl. "No, Mai fainted due to the over usage of her powers. As you saw back on 'The Cursed House' case, I collapsed after releasing a great amount of power because it took a great toll on my body. And it's the same with Mai; using a great deal of energy without an ounce of control will drain you quicker, and when you add on the fact that she had already been drained by the spirit, this led to her unconsciousness." He concluded.

Mai pursed her lips, stretching the aching muscles in her arms. "Will that happen every time I use my powers?"

"Yes, which is why Lin and I are going to teach you how to control them once we've solved this case."

Mai blinked, flabbergasted. "Y-You're going to teach me?"

"Controlled powers take less amounts of energy through withdrawal." Lin added, curving the sides of his mouth into a half-smile. "You and Takigawa should be fine in an hour or so once your energy has replenished itself."

"On that note, Ayako," Naru cut in, "Have you finished the charms I asked for?"

The priestess pulled off a pleased smile at his question, releasing a superior aura as she pulled out a stack of papers from her skirt pocket. "I made enough for everyone." She handed them to him as he then proceeded to hand them around to everyone.

"This one's for Miss Hachimitsu." Naru gave her the remaining charm before focusing on the whole group. "I need everyone to keep the charms on them at all times, they'll fend off any attempts of possession."

"Good job, Ayako." Mai smiled and clapped her hands.

"Hm, well I _am _a professional Shinto priestess after all." She exclaimed loudly, straightening her back.

Monk scoffed, whispering in her ear, "Nothing professional about that."

Mai clenched her teeth and quickly covered her mouth, struggling to hold in her giggle while Naru and Lin broke off from the group, mentioning something about checking the monitors again.

The miko sat herself in-between Mai and Monk, crossing a slender leg over her knee with her arms folded against her chest. "Anyway, how are you feeling Mai?"

She shrugged. "Better, I guess. But it feels like I've been on a ten mile hike with the way my body aches," she scrunched up her nose distastefully, catching Monk's irritated look.

"What, is no one going to ask how I feel?" He whined, receiving a well-aimed hit to the gut.

"I was getting there," Ayako rubbed her fist, flexing her fingers with a menacing look in her eye. "I _was_ going to teach Mai some defensive techniques."

"It's not that I couldn't remember them Ayako, I just panicked."

"Well, I'll remind you anyway." She said, glancing at her hands. "Rin," she moved her hand in a diagonal motion, "Pyou, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen. Got it?"

"I already knew it," Mai grumbled, tilting her head back as she sighed.

"I bet you can't remember mine," Monk grabbed her hands, positioning them into a curved pose as he motioned her to copy his movements. "Keep your fingers locked together and chant, Naumaku Sanmanda Bazaradankan."

Mai sunk further into the couch, letting her head flop back. _I already knew this one too._ She groaned silently while Monk and Ayako argued about which chant was better. To be honest, she just didn't care!

"How about these?" Lin said in the background with his back to the group, speaking to Naru in hushed tones that Mai just happened to pick up on.

"I hadn't quite gotten around to those," Naru replied, taking a pile of papers from Lin's hands. He grabbed an empty chair and pulled it towards the centre of the room before sitting himself down on it.

Mai poked both Monk and Ayako simultaneously, stopping their chatter as Naru cleared his throat for their attention. "...Are those from Yasu?" She asked, recognising the fax-styled papers in his lap.

He smirked, impressed. "Yes, he faxed them over before we left Tokyo. Yasu researched the house for me so this is what he's found," he nodded at the papers in hand before beginning. "This house was bought in 1951 by the Kizoku family who were the original owners, however there were no recorded killings or accidents until Mr Kizoku died many years later in 1978. The medical reports recorded the cause of death as a heart attack from natural causes, which was shortly followed by the death of his wife in 1953. The Heimin family were the second buyers in 1957, and here again there were no reported killings or accidents until the house was taken over by the Hachimitsu family, consisting of a husband, his wife, and their daughter, Yumi."

"H-Hachimitsu!?" Mai spluttered loudly, eyes wide as a confused look splayed across her face. _Yurei has the same surname! How could that be possible?_

"Hush, Mai, keep your voice down!" Ayako scolded. "It might just be a coincidence-"

"Or she's the second generation of family." Monk supplied curiously.

Naru sighed. "If only I could finish reading it," he growled, sending them a cold glare. "It wasn't until 2013 when the wife was reported missing by the husband-"

_'My mother...She's been working abroad for about two years now.'_

"-after which an affair was announced by the husband that his wife had been seeing another man at the time. After little investigation the authorities decided to call off the search, believing the wife to have runaway with the other man. The case was never reopened after that, and unfortunately, the husband and daughter later died in a house fire near the end of the same year. Their bodies were recovered from the wreckage. No one has lived here since, and there haven't been any renovation reports either."

Mai bit the inside of her gum, staring off into a daze after recalling Yurei's words from the interview. It just didn't make sense. If nobody has lived here ever since, then how is Yurei living here? Was the house rebuilt by an off-licensed company? Is the client a distant relative of the previous Hachimitsu family? Her brain hurt just thinking about it.

"We're going to perform an exorcism." Naru suddenly announced without a pause, stuffing the papers into the inside of his jacket pocket.

"Whoa, hold on a minute!" Monk yelled, having been taken off-guard by the sudden exclamation. "We don't even know where the spirit is!"

"Which is why we're going to perform more than one." Naru said. "A multiple exorcism."

"Ugh," Ayako moaned. "I'm going to be exhausted after this." She collapsed back against the couch.

"Hah! With you're lack of power you will." Bou-san mocked. "I, however-"

Ayako's purse hit him square in the face. "I guess I'd better get this charm to the client before I forget," she stood from her seat as if nothing had happened, leaving Monk to nurse his injured face by himself.

"We'll be performing the exorcisms tomorrow morning. Be prepared by 9AM."

Mai waved Ayako off before slumping to her side, burying her face into the couch pillow with a sigh. She was confused beyond understanding with what was going on in this house. They already have to deal with finding the spirit's anchor (in order for it to pass on), a violent spirit who has been attacking the client and is _currently_ the source behind the mysterious fog, as well as the missing information behind the house renovations and the disappearance of the wife!

The assistant wedged herself deeper into the couch.

One thing played on her mind, sticking out from the rest as she regarded the client.

Just _who _is Yurei?

* * *

><p><strong>Posting Date: <strong>31st July 2015

**Symm: **I somehow managed to update quicker this time, thank the Kami! I've been trying to type it up in-between watching anime since I never seem to have time during college. We're almost getting to the end of this first case but not to worry! I've planned to put up another case after this one, (which gives us more time to see the development of Mai's powers! *wink wink*) Btw, I got most of the '_Qi' _info from wiki and practically made up the rest of the Japanese bits so if any of it is wrong, that's why. The Chinese have _'Qi' _(pronounced 'Chi') and the Japanese/Western cultures have 'Ki' (pronounced 'Key').

Thanks for reviewing **Guest, Makennaandreese, Socat14, NaginiFay!**

Thanks for favourite **Musical Teardrops, snookie98628, jennifer berube 520, IAmTheTaintedAngel, MaiDavis44681, shinhwa27, CUPCAKE-L3VER, animegirl8097, Sesshomaru's Lady 122!**

Thanks for following **Musical Teardrops, Ivy Tearen, Reaganbrie, snookie98628, jennifer berube 520, carolinee458, Bluejay123, IAmTheTaintedAngel, MaiDavis44681, tooobservant, mixed array, EternalSkydancer, Amuto4Lifee, CUPCAKE-L3VER, Ai1990, Surischa, MistressSleepwell666!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Ghost Hunt.

* * *

><p><strong>Burnt Desires: Part 12<strong>

**Day 3. 8:15AM**

"I need you to do something."

Mai jumped at the sound of Ayako's voice, staring wide-eyed at the woman's reflection in the bathroom mirror. "Dwoo whut?" She mumbled around her toothbrush, spraying toothpaste all over the sink.

She was still in her pyjamas, having only woken up around twenty minutes ago. Ayako had barged in on her during her morning routine as she was now facing her with a toothbrush sticking out her mouth and her cheeks covered in foam from the paste.

Ayako covered her mouth stoicly and laughed loudly at Mai's appearance, eyeing the floppy ears of the bunny slippers covering her feet. "You look like you've just woken up," she mused, tapping her nail against the bathroom counter.

Mai pulled her toothbrush from her mouth. "I have," she grumbled, adjusting her top self-consciously. "What do you want so early in the morning?"

"I need you to pass this on to the client," the priestess showed her a crinkled charm.

Mai froze, scrutinising the miko warily. "But I thought you told Naru she had already accepted it." She frowned, spitting the paste in the sink. "And anyway, didn't Naru say the exorcisms were to be conducted at 9AM?" She popped the toothbrush back in her mouth. "Why arrren't you dwessed?"

"Because I was trying, _for the second time_," she growled, "to get the client to accept it!"

The assistant almost choked on her own saliver. "She dwidn't take it fwrom you!?" She yelled, colliding with the countertop while the priestess simply watched, disinterested. "Ouch! Why dwidn't she?"

Ayako threw her arms up in defeat. "I don't know! She just didn't want it, but I don't have time to be worrying about this Mai! I need to get dressed for the exorcisms, it's not a one minute job," she complained irritably.

"Wait, what's the twime now?"

"8:18AM."

"You'wve got plenty ov twime-"

"Yes, well...I'm passing this task on to you," Ayako slapped the charm against her chest. "Bye!" She was out the door before Mai could blink, gone like the wind.

The assistant stared out the open door with the toothbrush hanging from her mouth, feeling a line of foam drip down her chin as she sighed.

"Gwodammit."

* * *

><p>After brushing her teeth and getting dressed, Mai found herself wandering the house in search of the client, stopping in relief at the sight of her in the kitchen.<p>

Yurei was leaning against a wooden cupboard with the kettle whistling loudly in the background, seeming oblivous to the schreeching as her eyes lowered and her lips pressed into a firm line in thought.

"Y-Yurei!" Mai hurried in and reached for the kettle before the water overboiled, snapping the client from her stupor as the assistant quickly turned off the stove, twisting away from the hot rising steam. "Are you OK?" She pondered lightly, setting the kettle down on the marble counter.

Yurei nodded, giving her a half-smile. "I'm fine, Mai. Thanks," she nodded at the stove. "Did you come for breakfast? The rest of your team ate earlier, I was just making tea-"

"Ah, no thanks, I came to give you something." Mai fished the charm from her back pocket and displayed it on her palm for her to look at.

Yurei's expression insantly darkened. "My answer is still no," she barked, meeting Mai's confused gaze. "Your friend has asked me twice already, I don't want it." She backed away.

Mai moved with her. "But it's for protection! It will defend you from any spiritual attempts at possession," she thrust it forward, pleading. "Please take it, Yurei."

The client shook her head wildly, suddenly cradling her head as if in pain as she dug her nails into her scalp. "N-No! I don't need it!" She dragged her hands down her face, creating angry red lines with her nails. "_He won't let me!_" She locked her crazed gaze with Mai's widened eyes, giving her a clear view of her black, inky pupils.

Mai gasped, taking a step back. _Her eyes, they've turned black! _The same thing had happened during the previous interview where a black substance had crept into her eyes and consumed them whole, changing the startling colour from blue to black. Her attitude completely changed after that, almost as if she was possessed.

_It's happening again, _Mai thought internally, not knowing what to do. "Y-Yurei!" She tried calling her name, reaching out to shake her shoulder. "You need to snap out of it! I-I don't know what's happening, but you need to fight it, whatever it is!" She begged.

The client swung her arms manically, knocking over the kettle in the process as it fell from the counter will a loud 'bang'. The water spilled over and Mai cried out in pain as it splashed across her hand, burning the pale skin a red raw while the client groaned loudly at her cry.

Mai was unaware of the buzzing filling Yurei's head as she bent forward in pain, balling her hands into fists from the deafening pressure.

The assistant rushed over to the sink and smacked her hand against the nearest tap, turning it on as a blast of cold water hit the burnt patch of skin. She bit her lip, holding back her cry with tears in her eyes as she forcefully held her shaking hand beneath the cold spray.

"Don't want it, don't want it, don't need it, _he won't allow me_, I can't take it-" Yurei chanted to herself, quietly lowering herself down into a crouch as the words spilled from her mouth.

"Yurei!" Mai desperately tried again, hearing her heart thump in her ears. _I'm scared. _"P-Please, you need to snap out of it!" She pleaded, feeling her hand throb painfully.

Amongst the mayhem the damaged kettle rolled into Yurei's foot, dripping steaming water over her shoe. The client pulled back instinctively at the hot sensation seeping through the leather of her boot and Mai watched in shocked fascination as a bone-chilling shiver ran down her spine, causing the black substance to shrivel back before shrinking and disappearing from her eyes.

The client blinked, removing her hands from her head as she stood. She turned around, face pale and stoic. "...Mai?"

Mai slumped against the sink in relief, her hand numb from being under the cold spray for so long. "Y-You're back," she sighed in relief, running a hand through her hair.

"Back?" Yurei asked, seeming confused by her statement. "What happened?"

"N-Nothing," Mai waved her hand, forcing her lips into a passive smile. _She doesn't remember anything, just like last time. _"Um...Do you happen to have any bandages?"

"Sure, but why-" Her gaze landed on Mai's hand. "W-What happened?" She grew panicked, pulling the assistant's hand away from the sink. "It looks painful, are you alright?"

Mai shrugged her off. "I'm fine," she lied casually, giving her a smile. "I just knocked the kettle over, nothing major."

Yurei seemed to believe her story as she went and hurriedly opened a nearby cupboard and pulled out a clean white bandage, using her teeth to rip a hole into the outer packaging before threading the roll out. "Give me your hand," she instructed, clumsily wrapping the material around Mai's burn in loose hoops and securing it with a safety pin. "There you go," she smiled, relieved.

Mai frowned at her awkard handiwork but gave her a half-smile in return. "...Thanks?" She wiped away at her eyes, feeling a dead ache across the back of her hand which she knew would soon turn into numbing tingles. _I can't believe I injured myself so soon, _Mai grumbled to herself, puffing out her cheeks. _Yesterday I had my energy sucked out by a vampire-wannabe spirit, and this morning I have hot water tipped over me._ _Monk's going to get a kick out of this, _she scoffed, returning her gaze to the client as a sudden thought struck her. "...Um, Yurei before you were living here, did any of your family or relatives ever stay here?"

"No, my parents and I never stayed in contact with our relatives so I'm not sure where they are or who's even still alive." She replied without a pause in speech, giving her another smile.

_That doesn't make sense. _"T-Then what about the daughter, did you know anyone who lived here by the name of Yumi?" Mai countered, noticing the slight rigidness in the client's shoulders.

Yurei turned her back on her, preoccupying herself with wiping up the spilt water from the countertop until she said, "My father, my mother, and I have been living here since I was born. I was put in charge of looking after the house until my father gets back while my mother has been away abroad, working." She said expressionlessly, throwing a quick look at her over her shoulder. "But if that's all you wanted to know then please excuse me. I have other things to do," she threw the cloth into the sink.

_'-the house was taken over by the Hachimitsu family consisting of a husband, his wife, and their daughter, Yumi.' _Naru's words swirled around in Mai's mind, spiked from Yurei's explanation of when she came to live here. _But this just doesn't make sense! How can any of this- _Her eyes swelled with awareness.

"O-OK then, sorry for bothering you." She bowed quickly before darting out the door, keeping her steps light until she rounded the corner and braced herself against the corridor wall, drawing in a haggard breath. "If Yurei had no other relatives living here, then are Yasu's findings wrong?" She wondered, only to shake her head at the stupid idea. "No, that's not possible." She sighed, staring at her feet. "...Naru said the wife went missing and that the husband was the one to report her disappearance, whereas Yurei told me that her mother's away on a trip." Mai bit her lip. "The Hachimitsu family in the report consisted of a husband, a wife, and a daughter named Yumi. The Hachimitsu family living here _now _is made up of a husband, a wife, and a daughter named Yurei." She remembered, counting the number of people on her hands. "Three people in each family. They're almost identical; both mothers have either been away or gone missing for a long period of time, and Yurei and Yumi's names are pretty similar too..."

Silence filled the air as Mai's mind whirled with the possible comparisons and thoughts about both families. "Now that I think about it, the two times I've asked Yurei about her parents was when her eyes turned black, completely changing her attitude as if she was being possessed. Yurei also wouldn't take the charm which could be another sign of a possession, with the spirit refusing on her behalf..."

The more Mai thought about it, the more confused she became. Just what was going on in this house?

* * *

><p><strong>Day 3. 9:26 AM.<strong>

"-Naumaku Sanmanda Bazaradankan, Naumaku Sanmanda _BAZARADANKAN!_" Monk chanted loudly, dressed in his traditional Buddist clothes as he finished off the cleansing of the room. Bou-san wiped the sweat from his forehead and released his breath, slumping forward against his knees. "That's the living room, guest rooms, and all five bathrooms done." He panted, sweeping back his hair as he heaved. "...I think Naru's trying to kill me." He grumbled, feeling exhausted from performing the multiple exorcisms.

Monk hadn't taken a break yet and had quickly piled through each cleansing, wanting to get his assigned rooms done as quickly as possible so he could go see how Ayako was doing and perhaps gloat. "I bet she hasn't even cleansed them properly," he chuckled to himself as he stood, pondering over how he could tease her. The monk dusted himself down, gave the room one last scan before hurrying out and almost bumping into Naru on his exit. "W-Whoa! Sorry about that Noll," Monk stepped back, putting some space between them before he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see how you were doing," Naru replied coherently.

"Oh," Monk said slowly, shocked at his boss' concern. "That's...nice of you." _And weird_. "Well, I've finished all of mine. Have you been to see Ayako?"

"Yes, she's still exorcising and probably won't be done for a while yet." He replied, glancing around the corridor as if in search of something.

Monk frowned, watching the narcissist's brow twitch in agitation. It could only mean one thing. "...Are you looking for Mai?"

"Yes," Naru focused his gaze on the monk. "Do you know where she is?"

"Nope!" Monk smirked playfully, arching a devilish brow at his boss' narrowed stare. "But Ayako might."

The narcissist sighed at the monk's mischievous expression, eyeing him solemly before gesturing for him to follow behind as he made his way back to where Ayako was working. Ten minutes later found the monk and narcissist outside the priestess's designated room, and yet neither male could make out the sounds of her chanting. It was completely silent.

Monk placed his ear against the cold wood and listened intently while Naru watched on, noting the rise in the monk's forehead as the skin between his brows creased into puzzling lines.

Naru moved closer. "Anything?"

"Nothing at all," Monk replied, staring intensely at the door for a short moment, briefly pondering what to do before deciding to push it open out of curiosity and revealing a startled Ayako kneeling casually on the floor with a burgundy-coloured fan in her hand.

Her face instantly dropped at the sight of them. "T-Takigawa...and Naru? Didn't you just visit me not too long ago?"

"I'm here for something else." Naru explained briskly, getting straight to the point. "When did you last see Mai?"

The priestess lowered her hand containing the fan, throwing a worried look at the monk. "...She hasn't gone missing again," Ayako said slowly, drawing out the moment, "...has she?"

Takigawa pressed his lips together as he chuckled to himself, understanding the woman's instinctive questioning. "Hah! She hasn't gone missing Ayako, Naru didn't word his question right-"

Noll's glare cut him off. "I'm just enquiring about her whereabouts. When did you last see her?"

Ayako fanned her face, purposely pursing her lips together as she pretended to think, feeling a thick sweat break out across her skin at the feeling of Naru's stare on her back. She glanced in every corner of the room except for his, avoiding Naru's stare with a gulp. "Mai...she was in our room the last I checked," she replied, lowering her fan. "Although, she did mention something about finding the client for something-" She broke off. _It's not _technically _a lie, _Ayako awkwardly assured herself. "-I'd try looking near the kitchen," she suggested, "you'll probably find Yurei there, and once you find her you'll find Mai."

Naru took in a breath, not bothering to hide the calculating essence in his cerulean eyes as he impatiently scrutinised her look. With his lips twisted the narcissist jerked his head into a rough nod before spinning on his heel and exiting the room.

"Naru," Monk ran after him. "Hey! I'm gonna stay behind and help Ayako with her cleansing exorcisms, so good luck!"

Noll held his hand up behind him without a pause in his step, acknowledging the monk's answer with a wave as he continued on to his next destination, wondering what his assistant could possibly want to talk about with the client. And it didn't take him long to find her, resting against the corridor wall a few turns away from the kitchen. Her eyes were shut.

"Mai." Naru stopped in front of her.

The assistant's eyes flew open at the sound of her name, visibly jumping from the sudden call. "N-Naru! I wasn't slacking off, I swear!" She babbled hurriedly, wobbling in a skittish manner. With her chaotic state of dress and muddled expression, Naru already knew she was hiding something from him.

His eyes dropped to her hand. "What happened there?"

Mai blinked owlishly, drawing her gaze to her bandaged hand. "O-Oh, this? It was an accident."

The narcissist scoffed internally. "I'm not surprised." He rolled his eyes, studying the untidy fabric hanging loosely from her hand. "Did you bandage it yourself?" He asked accusingly, taking a step closer for inspection.

The assistant shook her head, feeling her cheeks flush from embarrassment at the state of the dressing. "No, Yurei did it," she huffed.

Naru sighed and grabbed the loose strands of fabric to tug her away from the wall, undoing Yurei's handiwork in one pull while he cupped her wrist with his other hand. "I presume you went to find Yurei for a bandage after you fell-" His eyes held an all-knowing look which soon vanished as the bandage slipped through his fingers at the sight of the stretched blemish across her hand. His heart twisted in shock. "A burn..." He muttered. "You scalded yourself?"

Mai ducked her head but Naru tightened his grip around her wrist. "It was an accident. Yurei knocked over the kettle and..."

His brow raised in wait. "And?" He pressed, but she just shook her head, drawing in on herself. He paused a moment more before assessing the tarnished skin of her burn, noticing how the red and irritated skin bunched up in some areas. Whatever had burnt her had been dealt with quick, but Mai hadn't come out unscathed. A few layers of skin had been scalded which would surely scar if it wasn't treated properly. His eyes drew up fast and he said, "Tell me what happened Mai."

Silence.

Naru watched her chest rise as she took in a breath, appearing to contemplate her answer before finally replying. "Yurei had another episode."

Noll slowed his movements, settling his intense gaze on the gauze in his grasp. _An episode? _He thought confused, waiting for Mai to elaborate.

"Do you remember," she sighed, "right back at the start of the case when we sat Yurei down for an interview, and her–her eyes changed..."

Naru nodded, picturing the moment clearly in his mind. "Her eyes turned black."

"Well, it happened again," she continued, scrunching her face at the image. "I asked her about the former owners of the house and if she had any family living here previously, but as soon as I mentioned the name of the daughter she just flipped! It was like she was a different person!"

"You asked her about the past Hachimitsu family?"

Mai gulped, shakily nodding her head for confirmation as she –somewhat– forged the truth. It was actually the charm that had set her off. "I, erm, asked her about Yumi," she breathed. "I-I even tried giving her the charm-" _No, no no no no! Why did I just say that!? Stupid! _Ayako was going to kill her!

"...Charm?" Naru repeated emotionlessly, pulling tighter on Mai's bandage for emphasis.

Mai wanted to slap herself. Naru would probably murder her first before Ayako could get to her if she didn't spill.

"I thought Ayako told me everyone, _including _the client, had received the protection charms." He spoke sharply, boring his gaze down on Mai. _Matsuzaki was acting unusually strange when I last saw her, but now I understand why. _"She failed," he concluded, meeting her eye. "Aren't I right? She must have passed the job on to you which is the cause of this whole mess with the client."

_It's like he read my mind. _"...Yes," she mumbled, feeling her shoulders sink. "But Yurei still rejected the charm, first from Ayako and then from me. At the time I believed it to be connected to a possession, with the spirit refusing the charm on her own behalf. I thought, perhaps her eyes turning black were a sign of the possession, with her sudden personality change being another. But then I realised," Mai shook her head, "and remembered _why _her eyes changed in the first place..."

Naru finished wrapping her hand before crossing his arms across his chest, pleased at her growing analysis on the problem. "Go on," he smirked.

The assistant twiddled nervously with the ends of her sleeves, keeping her eyes downcast while her mouth opened for air. "It's linked with her parents." She gathered quietly as she lowered her tone. "Whenever we mention them the same pattern reoccurs; Yurei's attitude changes, quickly followed by the colour changing of her eyes before she completely either grows angry or dazed." She paused, drawing in a breath to steady herself. _Now that I think about it, the first dream I witnessed with the girl and the fire held the same element as a dull buzzing sound filled her head, totally directing her away from the nightmare. __But it still doesn't make sense. Why would her own mind want to direct her elsewhere...? Unless..._

"Could it...D-Do–Do you think...she's making herself forget..?"

Naru's gaze snapped back to hers at her thought. _Clever girl. _"It makes sense," he nodded, eyes wide with adrenaline from the new information. "Well done Mai, this is brilliant-" He suddenly broke off, placing a hand to his chin in thought. _Yet we still don't understand why the client would be making herself forget. _"What doesn't she want to remember?" He said aloud.

"Him." Mai muttered suddenly as something came to mind. _'He won't let me!'_ Yurei had yelled during her episode. _He?_ She repeated in her head while Naru watched on quietly, waiting for her explanation on the sudden outburst. "When I was back in the kitchen, Yurei had yelled out, _'He won't let me', _and _'he won't allow me'._ So I'm guessing that whomever _'He'_ is might be the reason behind her memory distortion..."

"OK, good start Mai. Let's return to base to inform the others about what we've found, and Ayako can treat your wound properly." Naru brushed off a small clump of imaginary dust from his shoulder with a disinterested look before ushering her along.

Mai stumbled in the process of keeping up with his pace, having to grab onto the ends of his jacket lapels for support. "W-Wait!" She blushed bright red, stumbling back. "Where's Lin?" She asked with wide eyes.

Naru's steps slowed at her man-handling as he stopped to give her balancd, watching her pale cheeks light up with a beetroot red. "I instructed Lin to look around the first floor."

"He's upstairs!?" She gasped loudly, releasing her grasp on his jacket. "But didn't you say upstairs was off-limits?"

Noll stared at her for a few moments more, purposely baiting her as he waited for her gaze to settle on him before he rolled his eyes. Her blush deepened. "Lin is an adult Mai, he can handle himself if anything does happen."

* * *

><p><strong>Day 3. 10: 01AM<strong>

Within an hour the whole team regrouped back at base, leaving Naru to pass on his and Mai's jumbled ideas about the source of Yurei's episodes and supposed memory loss. Ayako hadn't been too keen on their ideas, passing the client off as a messed up child who probably hadn't had a very good upbringing. Mai had yelled at her for talking nonsense.

Their chatter didn't last much longer as Naru finished with his talk, leaving them to scatter around the base for a well-earned break after taking part in exorcisms all morning. Mai found herself perched against the window ledge, staring off into the fog in confusion as something seemed to bother her.

"Hey, Naru? Wasn't the fog much further out the last time we saw it?"

The narcissist quirked a brow and moved towards her, leaning around her to peer out the window. "...It's moved closer." He scowled deeply, missing Mai's frown as he leant in closer. "Lin."

The assistant rushed over and joined them at the window, following Naru's gaze. Throughout the night the fog had moved in substantially and was now within touching distance of the house, surrounding it.

Mai snapped the assistant from his daze as her finger tapped the glass, pointing at the purple tendrils creeping through the fog in the distance. "What are they?"

"It's the spirits influence." Lin replied, gesturing towards a much larger cluster hovering above the embankment. "Look, those ones are bigger."

"Meaning?" Monk shuffled in, lingering behind them to get a glance.

"It's getting stronger. The exorcisms didn't work." Lin sighed.

"Great! We worked ourselves for nothing." Ayako grumbled loudly, slapping her hand across her lap in a fit of anger as her lips quirked up into a grimace. "Just our luck."

Mai manoeuvred around the group of men to get to the priestess, reaching out a hand towards her. "Don't get upset Ayako, we just misjudged the locations. So for now, why don't you get changed into some comfortable clothes before we sort this out?" She smiled reassuringly, flexing her hand in front of her face. "Come on, I'll go with you, and then you can help treat my wound."

Ayako pursed her lips, feeling the pressure of the men's gazes on the side of her face. She took one look at herself, noticing how she was still wearing her miko garbs before quickly accepting Mai's offered hand and standing up. "Fine. I'm in the need for a fresh set of clothes," she hmphed, leading the assistant towards the door without a word of goodbye to the others.

Mai happily followed, waiting until they were out of the room before tugging her hand free to stroll at a more casual pace besides the priestess. It only took them a matter of minutes to arrive at their shared room, and Mai waited outside while the older woman changed, leaning against the wall patiently with her eyes trained on the floor. While she waited she hummed an unspoken tune in her head, making it up as she went to break the silence of the empty corridor.

Mai's humming hit an off-key note unexpectedly as something tugged at her senses.

Without warning, Mai slowly regarded the flicker of white hovering near the end of the corridor, catching the glimpse of a figure adorned by a fuzzy white dress. Her heart thudded loudly in her chest. Mai's body froze in shock and she hurriedly blinked in an attempt to clear her vision, but by the time she opened her eyes the flowing dress was gone, leaving a questioning thought in her mind.

"...Was that another spirit?"

* * *

><p><strong>Posting Date: <strong>24th September 2015

**Symm: ***Peers from behind wall*  
>...I'm back? |д꒪ͧ)… I'm sorry, you know, about the erm, whole 'two month absence' thing. *Cue the author's rambling* I was away on holiday and then started back to college when I came back so I've had my hands full with work. Between college and gorging on Chinese dramas, I haven't left myself with much time to write; but even when I <em>do <em>have a spare amount of time it's spent on college work and such. It's my final year so I've been spending my time looking for universities which is pretty time-consuming (and exhausting) but I promise to update much quicker this time, so just bear with me! I promise! _Wǒ bǎozhèng! _(I promise in Chinese).

Thanks for following **MeganElizabeth99, Nollypoo, avelarruth93, Fher34, Nannaly, yssajeq, moonlight fire xx, SweetCherrySherry, ****Alph20, SoCal NEH, Karin Yakaza, D C JoKeR H S, SparrowSky1, ****Darkness7913!**

Thanks for the favourite **Karolina lescinkyte, MeganElizabeth99, avelarruth93, reivven, Fher34, yssajeq, moonlight fire xx, SweetCherrySherry, Kitsune Reaper26, D C JoKeR H S, 18alewhipvhs, SparrowSky1, KitsuneSenpai18, Aizawa Li Syaoran, we-might-as-well-dance, P****rofressional Dreamer!**

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	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Ghost Hunt.

* * *

><p><strong>Burnt Desires: Part 13<strong>

**Day 3. 2:15PM.**

Mai coughed as a cloud of dust blew past her face, hastily wafting away the lingering specks with her hand. "Y-You could have given me a warning," she rasped groggily, watching through bleary eyes as Naru handed the crowbar he'd been holding over to Lin before forcefully removing the cracked lid off the box he'd just assaulted.

"You shouldn't have stood so close, Mai." Naru retored, throwing her an unreadable look over his shoulder before delving his hand into the depths of the box.

Two hours earlier Lin had finally returned from his scout upstairs, having broken through the temporary seals on the stairs in order to do so. The omnyoji hadn't caught sight of any traces of the supposid active malouvant spirit on the first floor, and had found something else entirely; a room they hadn't searched yet.

The attic.

After much deliberation Naru said it would do them some good to check it out, to search what appeared to be this old, forgotten attic for any new information or leads that might be up here, and had sent Ayako and Monk to divert the client away while the three of them explored the attic space, armed with only two torches.

The attic was big, being double the size of the room Mai was currently sharing with Ayako –and that was big in itself. The cord for the light switch was too high for _any_ of them to reach, having to resort to the weak lights from the torches instead.

"Find anything?" Lin asked, raising his torch higher to illuminate the area he was in.

"Hmm," Naru muttered as he leaned further into the box, shifting his hands through the stacks of papers he deemed unnecessary, and had probably been thrown carelessly into the box. "They're just blank sheets," he moved his hand around while the paper shuffled noisily, scratching against the sides of the box.

"Why would the paper be blank?" Mai replied, glancing blindly through the dark at the dingy surroundings, shining her torch at the ceiling. She grimaced. There were cobwebs everywhere.

"Perhaps the ink faded into the parchment," Lin suggested, moving closer. "The air is stagnant...and cold."

"Or it's a decoy for anyone who might be nosing around," Naru scoffed loudly as his fingers touched something cold. "Looks like whoever put this here was hiding something," he said and retrieved the item from beneath the sheets.

Lin focused his beam on the tin in Naru's hands. "Can you open it?"

Naru grunted, "Yes."

"What is it?" Mai questioned curiously, moving steadily across the dim floor as her feet carried her forward, producing short puffs of dust from the grimy surface which apparently hadn't been cleaned in a few decades. Even the air tasted stale.

"Mai, aim your torch higher," Naru instructed impatiently as she heard him rattle the tin.

"Yes, _boss._" Her tone dripped with irritable derision as she groped blindly for the button on the side of the light source, dishing out a stronger beam which flickered with a few adjusting blinks. "There," she declared, pointing the beam at the object.

With the pair of lights focused on the tin the outer carvings illuminated under the beams with a clear bottled green, covering the wide margins with curves and swirls across the linings. The box was bigger than Naru's hand but easily stayed balanced in his grasp, streching outwards another inch or two from his palm.

His narrow fingers pried the lid open, revealing a stack of pristine white papers. Naru grabbed the pile and placed the empty tin down on a nearby desk, swiping his sleeve across the top to clear away the dust and dotting his black jacket with speckles of white and grey.

"What are they?" Mai edged closer as Naru flipped through the stack.

"Documents..." He murmured attentively. "...A birth certificate," he paused, moving the paper further into the light, "for Yumi Hachimitsu."

Mai's eyes widened a fraction at the mention of the familiar name. "Yumi Hachimitsu?" She asked, astonished. "But wasn't she the daughter of the previous Hachimitsu family, the first ones?"

"Yes," Lin answered monotonously, running his gaze over the document. "We can determine now that Yasu's findings were indeed correct," he said before switching his focus back to the other sheets in the pile. "Is there anything else of importance?"

Naru shuffled the paper while Mai and Lin crowded round for a closer look. Something small and square slipped from between the sheets, and Mai caught a flicker of white as it dropped to the floor, going unnoticed by the other two.

She bent down to retrieve it, feeling a brief twinge of weight on her shoulders as she did so. The assistant winced from the strange sensation and shot an anxious glance over her shoulder to see if anything was there, but the space was empty. _Strange, I thought something was-_

"What's in your hand?"

Mai snapped out of her reverie at the sound of Naru's voice, unconsciously tightening her grip on the torch in her grasp. "It's a photograph," she handed it over, "it fell from the middle of the papers."

Naru flipped the picture over, finding a line of writing on the back. The ink was smudged but still readable. "_Hidari, Jirou, and Yumi Hachimitsu, 1998._" Naru read the inscription aloud, cocking a brow at the names.

Mai peered over his shoulder as he flipped the photograph around, showing a trio of people standing in front of a large oak tree. The trio consisted of a woman, a man, and what appeared to be their daughter, all producing the same cheerful smiles as they stared at the camera. The man, Jirou, wore a creased shirt with a pair of denim jeans, resting his hand on the daughter's shoulder. Yumi, the daughter, was wearing a plain black t-shirt and a pair of cotton overalls over the top, standing in front of a giant oak tree which held an unusual scar across the front of its trunk. Her blue eyes had a startling resemblance to Yurei's, bringing forth Mai's previous thoughts of the questioning connection between the two girls. She looked like a younger version of Yurei with her childish dimples and baby teeth.

The woman in the picture wore a simple white gown which Mai instantly recognised. It must have been the white tint she saw when it fell. Her eyes widened even more. "...The ghost!" She blurted upon realization, snatching the photograph from Naru's fingers for closer inspection.

"Ghost?" Lin repeated, shocked by the girl's accusation.

Mai paled, suddenly feeling Naru's gaze burn into the side of her face. "I...might have seen another ghost..." She trailed off, nervously fiddling with the edges of the picture.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Naru asked displeased, crossing his arms across his chest with the grace of a prowling cat. A very _unhappy_ cat.

"I thought I was seeing things." Mai scrunched up her nose distastefully. "It seemed harmless! I didn't sense anything coming from it." She tried to reason but Naru wasn't impressed.

"Whether you're hallucinating or not Mai, any type of information can be important." The narcissist replied, snatching back the photograph from her hands.

Mai, annoyed with her bosses attitude made an irritable noise with her mouth, spinning on her heel so that her back was showing to him as she huffed in annoyance. _Narcissist,_ her mind grumbled cowardly, shining her torch elsewhere as a distraction from her foul mood. _I spoke the truth and he _still _tells me off. He's so moody!_

Naru moved around her, raising the picture in her line of sight before pointing at the older woman in the shot. "Is this the ghost you saw?"

Mai's brow twitched. "...Yes. She was wearing the same white dress that she's wearing in the photograph." She replied, staring at the collection of cardboard boxes sitting against one of the corners of the attic.

Lin shuffled closer, causing the light of his torch to bounce off the walls in an eerie way, making the strewn out cobwebs glow a crystal white. "Then the mother must have died here," he concluded solemnly, staring at the picture with blank eyes. "If we're going off the basis of Yurei actually being Yumi, then the woman in the photograph is Yurei's real mother and she has lied to us about her mother's real whereabouts."

Mai frowned, gaining a sudden tickling sensation run down her spine. The heavy feeling was back again, weighing her down. It was like having a toddler sit on her shoulders; an invisible one. "Yurei told us her mother was working abroad so it doesn't make sense for her to have died here."

"She must have passed here on the property."

Mai's frown deepened. "Or died abroad. The family might have had her body shipped over.."

Naru shook his head.

Mai sighed, wondering why he was so adamant that she died _here_. "But I didn't see any gravestones near the property, just that burnt out forest."

While the pair had been conversing, Lin had moved away from them and headed towards the box Naru had opened earlier, having reached inside with his torch shining into its depths.

Naru placed the picture on the table with the rest of the documents, waving their talk off with his hand while Mai puffed out her cheeks, not liking how he ended things. The narcissist signalled her over with a hurried hand gesture so that her torch light would flash across the pages. "Keep it steady," he muttered, squinting down at the writing on the paper.

Mai bent her arm inwards for a steadier hold, keeping her torch aimed in Naru's direction as she released a bored sigh, straining her ears to the sounds of rustling paper coming from Lin's direction. Naru rolled his eyes.

Behind Lin she noticed a large bulk, covered by a thick blanket. From the furthest end was a head– a horse's head to be exact, sticking out from beneath the material. Mai believed it was a rocking horse. The pastel colours had long worn away, leaving behind a few blotches here and there. _Must have been Yurei's._

Lin's quiet gasp carried through the damp attic, piking Mai's curiosity as she craned her neck towards him, briefly disregarding the hidden childlike memories that would have revolved around the forgotten rocking horse.

"What is it?" She asked, pulling away from Naru who grumbled at the loss of her torch light.

"There's another tin," Lin answered as he pulled it from the box, awkwardly balancing his torch under one arm while carrying the tin in his other as he hurried over to them, putting it down on the table.

Naru took over while Lin shifted to the side, moving the documents out of the way before opening the tin and removing the items from within, using the palm of his hand to spread them out across the desk the way a magician would with a deck of cards.

Mai zoned in on the closest one to her– a letter– picking out a name they hadn't seen yet. _Nise Furin. _Her hand reached out and her fingers curled around the bottom edges, pulling it off the desk. Feeling the men's gazes bite into the back of her neck at her sudden movement, Mai forced her eyes to scan the scrawled message covering the page before reading it aloud.

"_Yumi, this is your mother. If you are reading this then I am long gone from this world, and I am sorry. There is something I have been keeping from you all your life, something I didn't have the heart to tell you about when I was alive. Writing the truth down seemed easier as you were too young to understand then._

_You see, I've been seeing another man-"_

Mai cut off short, staring dumbfounded at the sheet in her grasp. Naru cleared his throat and drew her attention, nodding at her to continue with a blank face. But Mai's head was filled with questions that rattled against the confounds of her mind, scratching and clawing at the imaginary binds with their claws until she forced them back with a rough shove, telling herself she would come back to them at a later date.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and continued to read.

"-You see, _I've been seeing another man, have been for sixteen years. The truth can be ugly Yumi, and I know you may think I've done wrong but I love him. Nise means the world to me. My husband, Jirou, I think he knows; maybe he knew from the start. I've been with your father for twenty years and yet Nise stole my heart at first glance. Perhaps I should have done the right thing and divorced him years ago, then I wouldn't have had to lie to him about me, or about _you_._

_Jirou isn't your father, Yumi. Nise Furin is the name of your biological father, although he doesn't know it. I've been lying to everyone for sixteen years, but I don't feel an ounce of regret for any of it. I just hope you'll forgive me one day, and that when we meet again we can start over. No lies; just the truth._

_Signed with love, Hidari."_

...Mai couldn't believe it.

"...That was expected," Naru remarked, sliding the letter out from between Mai's fingers as she stared at him in disbelief. "Yasu's findings mentioned how the husband knew about his wife's disloyalty as he was the one who reported it to the authorities, suspecting her to have runaway with this so called _Nise_."

Lin inclined his head, "Bringing us back to the question of how the wife died."

Mai lowered her arms to her sides, tightening her hold around the torch as the burn on her hand rubbed painfully against the bandage, jostling her memories. Her last encounter with the client had been useful because they had concluded how Yurei's episodes were brought on whenever her parents were mentioned. And now this new information gave them an alternative look on the family's real relationship; it couldn't be a coincidence that the mother's death was linked in some way, nor the husband's.

Something dreadful must have happened to make Yurei want to forget it all.

"The wife, Hidari," Mai spoke aloud, "we've figured out she's the white ghost, but what about the other spirit?"

Naru shared a look with Lin, but there was something about the way their eyes met that made Mai's stomach churn with worry. She didn't like it one bit.

"What is it?" She uttered, suddenly becoming nervous as she watched Naru's mouth twist into a grimace. "Naru-"

"Lin and I believe the darker entity to be Jirou, Hidari's husband and Yurei's adoptive father." Naru spoke clearly, adjusting the hem of his sleeve. "But this poses another problem. The reports told how after the authorities had written off the wife's disappearance that the father and daughter later died in a house fire. Jirou's spirit is in this house with us," he paused, "and so is the daughter's."

It took a moment for Mai's mind to grasp on to the narcissist's meaning. "Y-You mean Yurei? Her spirit is here-?" She broke off in confusion. "But Yurei couldn't be a ghost, she's corporeal! We've all seen her Naru!"

"We can all see spirits too, Mai." Lin responded and she met his eyes, recoiling back at the sympathy she saw in them. The sympathy he held _for her._

Mai shook her head, "N-No. I've touched her skin Lin. She felt real, as real as you or me."

"It's what she's making you believe," Naru moved closer. "Think about it Mai, her father is dead and resides in this house, so does her mother. Yurei should have burnt in that fire along with him." He advanced forward, shortening the gap between them as Mai felt the heavy feeling clamp down on her shoulders again. "Do you remember the first dream you had about the girl dying in the fire?"

Mai made no sound of acceptance to what he was saying, finding herself too shocked to answer.

Naru reached forward and grabbed her wrist, giving her a gentle shake. "The girl who perished in that fire is Yurei. That's enough proof to cancel out your opinions in this matter," he spoke sternly, hardening his eyes as Mai's gaze retreated to the floor. "You even said yourself how the girl in your dream suffered from the same eye-changing condition."

Mai sighed, pulling her wrist free. "I guess it does make sense...But why would her own father attack her?"

Naru shrugged. "Jirou knew about the affair, although he might have not known about Yurei having a different father at the time. Spirits latch on to negative memories. If Jirou learnt about the truth and came to resent his wife's disloyalty, then it's possible for him to want to exact revenge at his wife onto his daughter."

"That's so cruel." She murmured, feeling bewildered. "Hidari's death, too. It doesn't make sense. If she didn't pass away abroad-"

"Her spirit is connected to this house, meanings she died _here _on the property. The authorities called off the case after the husband mentioned her affair and never thought anything of it, however there are no death records for Hidari Hachimitsu, and that can only mean one thing."

The heavy feeling pressing down on Mai's shoulders increased, sending a sharp exhale from her mouth as her throat suddenly grew tight. She glanced behind her at the empty space, feeling uncomfortable. _There's nothing there. _"W-What do you mean?" Mai asked as her hands started to shake, confusing the assistant even more with what was happening to her. She forced herself to breathe as an odd sensation tugged at the back of her mind, and she pulled in a strained breath.

Lin who had been quietly observing the pair quickly transferred his gaze to Mai at the sudden feeling in his gut, sensing the appearance of a dark presence filter in behind her. His shiki twitched in anticipation.

Mai barely noticed Lin's worried expression for her own vision had grown startlingly blurred. Her mind whirled in fear, telling her of the being hovering behind here. She took a step back, hearing a dull buzz thrum in her ears. _My energy is being drained again, just like the time I was caught in the fog. _She thought pensively, feeling her strength begin to slip away. Was the spirit here with them?

Naru's voice broke through her thoughts as he answered the question they had all been thinking. "Hidari Hachimitsu was murdered in this house."

The weight on Mai's shoulders became too much as her legs buckled from beneath her and she collapsed to the floor, sending up a cloud of dust and grime into the air while Naru's words rang in her head. _Murdered. Killed in cold blood._

Lin got to her first, placing his hands on either side of her face with urgency, drawing in a gasp. He only had to take one look at her pale face to know what was happening. "It's taking her energy!" He yelled.

Naru froze, something which Mai had never seen before as he contemplated which direction to go to; the documents or Mai. He looked lost.

"I've got her!" Lin told him and then Naru shot into action, hurriedly grabbing the documents from the desk and stuffing them into the tin while Lin wrapped his arms under Mai's armpits and pulled her backwards towards the wall, setting her down with her torch held firmly in her grasp for safety.

"Don't move Mai!" He told her before dashing off in Naru's direction to help, leaving a single shiki behind to protect her.

Mai would've laughed at his words, however she truly couldn't move. Her breath was coming out in short rasps and a cold sweat was beginning to break out across her forehead. Whatever was pushing down on her shoulders was dense, keeping her seated on the floor in an unmovable position.

A heavy presence skittered amongst the shadows, growing bigger by the second as it sapped at her energy. Mai tensed, struggling to raise her torch against the weighty being pushing her down, watching the streak of light catch onto something before her, something _evil._

The apparition standing in the light of her torch manifested into a black silhouette, and Mai recognised him instantly. "J-Jirou!" She wheezed, feeling her own power hum in defensive. The aura he gave off wasn't too pleasing as it made Mai's insides coil into knots just from being in his presence. _He had looked so happy in the photograph._ She thought, recalling their content smiles._ Had learning of his wife's disloyalty changed him into this aggressive being?_

Lin's shiki shook above as the omnyoji appeared before her, his mouth pulled into a taught line as he asked her if she could stand, to which she shook her head. The spirit was holding her down. Lin called for his shiki with a high whistle, throwing his arm into a rushed arc as the shiki followed his directions, piercing through the ghost's translucent skin. The spirit threw out a counterattack but missed, releasing an enraged shriek before shrinking back against the wall and hiding itself amongst the shadows.

The weight instantly lifted from Mai's shoulders and she quickly stumbled to her feet, grasping onto Lin's arm for support as Naru joined them, scanning his eyes up and down her form in concern.

"The spirit doesn't appear to be happy with what we've found," he said with a wry smile, tucking the closed tin into the inner pocket of his coat.

The light from both Mai's and Lin's torches flickered in rapid blinks and a low rumbling filled the air, it's echoes sending a flurry of dust to the floor. Mai winced at the sound, hurriedly pivoting on her heel to escape it.

Lin's iron grip on her arm kept her in place.

The rumblings grew louder, causing strong vibrations that rocked the floor and walls surrounding them. Mai could have believed the attic was _alive _if she didn't know otherwise.

"It seems he doesn't like me mentioning it either," Naru said in a dry tone just as an inhuman shriek erupted in the air, signalling it was time for them to go.

Lin's shiki dispersed around them, leaving glistening white trails behind in their tracks as they went to distract the spirit in order for the three of them to escape. Lin took the distraction to whip Mai forward with a sharp tug, dragging her towards the attic steps and spinning her around before yelling at her to climb down to which she did, lumbering down the ladder two steps at a time as Lin sent Naru after her.

Mai's feet hit the floor with a loud thud and she moved out of the way just as Naru landed beside her, creasing his face into a scowl at the sight of her standing there panting.

"Don't just stand there, keep going!" He growled as Lin jumped down behind them, having completely disregarded the ladder in his midst of escape. Before Mai could see, the omnyoji's hand was already wrapped firmly around her arm once again and then he was pulling her down the hallway with Naru taking the lead up front, not giving her a chance to breathe.

Her lungs burned and her heart pounded against her chest, feeling the horrid taint of the spirit trailing after them, no more than a metre behind. Mai tried to keep her pace but Lin's urgent pulling's told her she wasn't running fast enough. He risked a glance back and cursed at the sight of the spirit, bringing his shiki around for another attack.

However this time they missed.

Jirou roared in triumph after blocking the shiki's attack, slicing through them as if they were mere scraps of paper and their energy splintered out.

Mai forced her eyes to look up front, and she was thankful that the stairs were in sight. Lin's shiki were lost somewhere behind but Mai's only focus was on getting to the ground floor. The creature must have read her mind as it too realised where they were heading, except he came up short at the nearness of their prize, zipping closer through the gap to stop them from going any further.

Mai lunged down the stairs with Naru and Lin flanked by her sides, jumping the last couple of steps in a fit of panic after sensing how close the spirit had gotten. Mai stumbled off-balance, catching herself with the help of Naru as they finally reached the bottom. She felt Lin's hand disappear from her arm and she turned to face him, watching as he drew out a bundle of temporary seals from his pocket before slapping them in place at the bottom of the stairs.

Jirou's spirit swooped down after them, only to pull back in disgust at the sight of the rectangular pieces of paper sealing him in. His eyes glowed in outrage, baring his sharpened teeth at the trio in displeasure.

Mai drew in a much needed breath, sliding back against the wall in relief. "He's trapped again, right?" she asked wearily, staring at the back of Naru's head whose gaze stayed fixated on the ghost.

Lin cleared his throat, answering for him. "For now."

That wasn't the answer she'd wanted to hear.

Mai angled her head, taking in both Lin and Naru before her. _They look exhausted, _she thought, rubbing her arm. Well, that wasn't so surprising with what they'd all just been through; especially Lin's shiki. Speaking of which–

"Lin, what happened to your shiki?" Mai spoke up, casting a quick glance in Naru's direction, but she stopped at the sight of something; or more like the _lack _of something. When had the spirit disappeared?

Lin rolled his shoulders to release his tension. "They're just recovering."

"OK," she nodded. _Just three words? _But that was Lin for you, he hardly uttered an explanation for things he didn't see fit to indulge in. So the assistant bit her inner cheek, mulling over what to say when she spotted something on Naru's sleeve. The white mark stood out against the darker tones of his jacket, something which was usually kept quite clean regardless of the situation. Mai typically ended up with a torn sleeve or a bruised wrist on every case.

Said assistant inhaled through her nose before using the wall as a grip to she climb to her feet, making her way over to Naru who seemed lost at the spirit's absence. "Hey Naru, there's dust on your sleeve," she uttered, feeling worn out from their run-in with the ghost.

The narcissist frowned and moved closer to her, holding her gaze for a moment before deliberately wiping his sleeve against her shoulder. "And there's dust on your backside." He retorted, choosing to ignore her annoyed look after using her shirt as a cleaning rag.

"W-What?" She mumbled, pulling away from him. The assistant craned her neck back to look at the mentioned area, noticing the grey streaks that were a mixture of dust and grime running across her trouser legs and bottom. She sighed mentally, feeling a red tinge seep into her cheeks. _That must have been from when Lin dragged me away to safety, _she presumed to herself, throwing a glare in Naru's direction. _Why was he even looking in that area!? _She fumed.

Lin clapped his hands, startling the assistant as her glare softened into a sullen scowl. "Mai, you can ask Ayako to help you clean your trousers when we get back to the base. But first we need to find everyone and pass on the new information we've learned." He spoke sternly, throwing a glance at the vacant stairs. He knew the spirit had retreated for now, but his presence still lingered from the aftermath of their chase.

The quicker they solved this case, the better.

Mai begrudgingly moved her feet into action, not liking how the two men could see the large dust stain running up her trousers from behind. So embarrassing. She just couldn't wait to find the priestess to help her clean up the whole mess.

* * *

><p><strong>Posting Date: <strong>29th November 2015

**Symm: **Hi, long time no see. How's everyone doing? I've been caught up with college work, _again_. As if I haven't got enough to do already, I've been bulked down with all of my subjects; I swear they do this on purpose at the same time. That's why I've taken a while to update, but hey, you got a longer chapter this time which I'm pleased about. So much action in one chapter. Also, just to let you know in advance I'm planning to get on with rewriting my Christmas-themed fic so if anyone enjoys Soul Eater, keep an eye out. ᶘ ᵒ㉨ᵒᶅ So the next update for Burnt Desires might not come until after Christmas, but I'll try to get one up before then if I can. Thanks for your patience and for reading!

Thanks for reviewing **D C JoKeR H S, MariaSakura2000, Fher34, Guest!**

Thanks for following **MariaSakura2000, Twilight Journey, RinsakiMei, animefreak205, alanawolf06, MissKiku, revrymetrlnce2, peaches-xenon, anime-4EVER44, wolfenrose14, Angenetta98, StrikeStorm7, DaadyGal26, BriBugg94,** **Wolfpup59, ****Gildra Evestar!**

Thanks for the favourite **raind2000, Ghost hunt er loves japan 77, MariaSakura2000, RinsakiMei, Checkmate6, MissKiku, Thelatestbuzz, BriBugg95!**

**Guest: **Thanks for reviewing, I'm glad you like the whole 'ki' thing. Sorry about the wait, I hope you enjoyed todays chapter :D


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